14 million able bodied Americans are out of work. That's a robust 9.1%. It's worst in Nevada (12.9%) and California (12.0%). It's 10% or above in 8 other states plus the District of Columbia.
As if that news weren't sobering enough, the U.S. Census Bureau released their annual report Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States (2010).
46 million Americans now live in poverty, an addition of 2.6 million impoverished since last year's count. That's 15.1% of all Americans live in poverty. 15.1%. That's more than 1 in 7 Americans.
50 million Americans are without health care coverage. That's 16.3%, or nearly 1 in 6 Americans.
Nationally, median household incomes have declined -2.3% since last year, or $1,154 per family.
The Congressional response to these trends in employment, income, poverty, and lack of healthcare coverage is startling. Slash federal spending, push to reduce benefits from entitlement programs, challenge legality of the health care reform law, all while steadfastly refusing to raise taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations in order to cover the revenue gap.
Our country is hurting ... badly. And Congress is more interested in protecting special interests than in helping our citizens weather this storm. Shame on them. And shame on us for electing them.
Voters get what they deserve.
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