Reality

Some pretty startling and sobering data was revealed today on the measure of poverty in the United States. It probably won't shock anyone out of their materialistic, distraction-induced stupors, but for those who have eyes to see, it is further reminder that the gilded age is over, and increasingly hard times lay ahead.

In 2010 the number of poor rose for a third straight year, hitting a record 46 million, or, 15.1% or one in six Americans. Twenty two percent of children lived in poverty in 2010. The official poverty rate is $22,314 for a family of four. The median — or midpoint — household income was $49,445, down 2.3 percent from 2009. This deterioration is certain to be further reflected in 2011. “Families are struggling to put food on the table, and they don’t have the purchasing power to help the economy recover,” said Isabel Sawhill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

It should always be noted that government statistics are almost always skewed to reflect more positively on the economy - for instance, the official unemployment rate is nearly one-third the actual unemployment rate, which is well over 20%. Therefore we can reasonably assume the actual number of impoverished in America is a great deal higher. This is speculative, however.

It is time for those of us willing to face reality to understand that the decline is irreversible. We cannot, therefore, sit on our hands waiting for the "good" times to return. They will not. It has become increasingly apparent that untold suffering awaits those who hide their heads in the sand and hold to the beliefs that only paranoid, delusions kooks prepare for hard times. We must create a new paradigm for ourselves, or we will die. The preppers shall inherit the Earth.

Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/census-us-poverty-rate-swells-nearly-1-6-142639972.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/13/us-usa-economy-poverty-idUSTRE78C3YV20110913

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-13/poverty-in-u-s-climbed-to-17-year-high-in-2010-as-household-income-fell.html

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/22-percent-american-children-lived-poverty-last-142535015.html