By: Jerry Burke
I'd like to thank the United States Census Bureau for making this startling discovery for me. Last week, from an undisclosed location in our nation's capital, the census folks welcomed 1.3 million more Americans into the slow-paced world of poverty. In 2003, the percentage of people living under the poverty limbo-line grew to 12.5 percent of the population, up from 12.1 percent in 2002.
Well, I thought, surely I, with my growing mountain of debt and a nightly hankering for sushi, must at least be close to slipping away under this magical line in the quicksand. The Bush economic recovery has affected me about as much as a femine hygene product commercial over the past two years, so I decided to see where I stood in the merciless realm of government statistics.
Surprise, surprise!
According to the Census Bureau, a single man like me stays above the poverty line by earning $9,573. In other words, everything I make after April is gravy! Sweetness! I'm wealthy beyond my wildest dreams!
Looking further down the list, I wanted to see how many kids I'd have to have on my salary before I'd sink below the poverty line. Say goodbye to birth control, Jerry Burke! The government says I can raise seven kids on my salary before becoming a beggar!
Seven kids! To think last week I had to bring $5.65 worth of bottles back to the store in order to afford shampoo! Thank you, Census Bureau, for putting my life in perspective.
And then I woke up. Now, I know New York is a tad pricey, but get serious. There exists nowhere in the United States a place where you can raise a family of four on $18,810. The fact that 12.5 percent of American try is appalling.
The announcement by the Census Bureau, made for the first time in August -- usually the stats come out in late September, giving incumbent politicians a pre-election boost or bomb, depending on the data -- was accompanied by more fun facts. The real median household income has stalled at $45,000 and, most frighteningly, another million people have joined the ranks of the uninsured in the past year.
There are now 45 million people -- 15.6 percent of the population -- without health coverage. And before you think that because you're one of the lucky ones with a decent health plan, this huge problem doesn't affect you, think again. Experts believe that health care for the uninsured costs taxpayers at least $120 billion a year. Your individual share of that is $400, insured or not.
Folks, we're all in this boat together, whatever your politics. The war on poverty is over and poverty still lives. These numbers are bad enough as is, but you must be beyond the realm of compassion to think the official poverty lines are based on anything approximating reality. It's past time for an overhaul.
