Number of Americans in poverty hits record high

[Ian Gills]

Ever noticed how those arguing for "personal responsibility" are never ugly, poor, old or ill?

Well, it doesn't work. At least not for those that are left out.

The number of Americans living in poverty rose to a record 46.2 million last year, official data has shown.

This is the highest figure since the US Census Bureau started collecting the data in 1959.

The US definition of poverty is an annual income of $22,314 or less for a family of four and $11,139 for a single person.

President Barack Obama last week launched a new $450bn job creation plan.

He wants to fund huge construction projects, schools and services, while giving tax cuts to workers and small businesses to boost recruitment.

However, his plans require backing from Congress, where Republicans - who control the House of Representatives - have voiced their opposition.

[wmills]

"President Barack Obama last week launched a new $450bn job creation plan.

He wants to fund huge construction projects, schools and services, while giving tax cuts to workers and small businesses to boost recruitment.

However, his plans require backing from Congress, where Republicans - who control the House of Representatives - have voiced their opposition"

Exactly what his plans are so it can be used for the upcoming election.

I find it strange that NO democrat is willing to sponsor the proposal to even bring it to the table. Perhaps but not likely even the dems realize that the last monies given for such programs by the prez were NOT used for the most part to start new jobs needing new employees but instead the money was used to allow a few companies to work their employees more hours to produce more products.

Who knows the Democrats might even nominate someone who has a basic understanding of economics to replace the elitist who is sitting at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

[geniescience]

it must be their fault.

if someone has a problem, it must be their fault.
if they allow themselves to be shunted aside.

[ballvalve]

8 out of 10 americans don't really know HOW to WORK. They want the most for the least.

Its the legacy of no fathers, drunk mothers, underwear at your knees, and no more high school shops [cut a finger! teacher to jail!]

And those hideous, mind destroying video games.

Every brat at high school graduation should get 2 years in the military and civil works. Especially the girls.

[LOTW]

8 out of 10 americans don't really know HOW to WORK.
Every brat at high school graduation should get 2 years in the military and civil works. Especially the girls.

And after that they should go to school to acquire bona fide, employable job skills, not touchy feely liberal arts crap.

[ballvalve]

And no texting and blackberrys in the camp. Just old popular mechanics magazines.

Put some import taxes on coat hangers, jeans, blankets, sox, squirt guns and clothespins, and Americas factories will re-open like starbucks stores.

[Ian Gills]

You wouldn't want to pay the prices.

What we need are more Government handouts.

Like they have in Alaska. Or for the farmers. And the 9/11 families.

[Terry]

Just the taxation on squirt guns would balance the budget.
Or if we could charge for every text message the kids are sending. It's hard to get their attention when their minds are far away and the only work they can do with their hands is texting. They can't even watch a movie with a basic story line. Their mind wanders so much that they lose the plot.

By the way, my spell checker doesn't know about the word "texting" yet. Am I not spelling that right?

[ballvalve]

And we would get squirt guns that lasted more than 45 seconds, like the ones we had as kids.

Really, there are NO clothespin makers left in America. The last rolling pin factory is trying to re-open after we let the Chinese send in 10 million at less than the cost of the wood.

Imagine all the little pieces of scrap wood in America now going to dumps and pellet stoves instead of an AUTOMATIC machine that turned it into a clothespin in 3 seconds. Best damn paper clips in the world. The machines were sold at scrap prices to the Asian.

Matches are next. Then we are finished.

Maybe its because the son of the factory owner was busy at Aspen texting his girlfriends.

Or the machine maintainers all retired and the kids out of school dont know a phillips screwdriver from a Phillips dvd player.

I have a 60" diameter recently dead sugar pine tree on my property, but the mills are closed within driving distance. Wont fit on my mill and the "tree guy" wants 400$ to lay it down anyway. Thats about 500,000 clothespins or 3 houses in a society with a brain and determination.

Here its home for a woodpecker, and a possible death for someone in the next windstorm.

Rome is sitting on its Toto watching chainsaw massacre movies, while the country burns around it.

Terrorism is NOT our issue. Its the loss of mechanical skills and our factories, incrementally.