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Monday, September 19, 2011

Poverty In America: Faces Behind The Figures

At a food pantry in a Chicago suburb, a 38-year-old mother of two breaks into tears.

She and her husband have been out of work for nearly two years. Their house and car are gone. So is their foothold in the middle class and, at times, their self-esteem.

"It's like there is no way out," says Kris Fallon.

She is trapped like so many others, destitute in the midst of America's abundance. Last week, the Census Bureau released new figures showing that nearly one in six Americans lives in poverty — a record 46.2 million people. The poverty rate, pegged at 15.1 percent, is the highest of any major industrialized nation, and many experts believe it could get worse before it abates.

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Joe, I can testify to this article. I lived on the Eastern Shore in Delaware, had a great job for 20 years, had a great home. i lost my job, could not find one in over a year, had to move the south to get any work.
lost our home in Delaware, lost our vehicle. i had a heart attack in November and have not been able to work since. We live with relatives and without their help we would be on the streets. I do not see anything good in our future. If we did not have our grand daughter to raise I just don't know what we would be doing.

Anonymous said...

Well I guess we got the change, so much for the hope

Anonymous said...

8:45 seeing you are from the great state that gave us our current VP, who also was a sitting senator for many years in your state, I only have one question, who did you vote for?