I have a couple of longer posts in the works on Social Security and Republicans and Taxes…but they aren’t ready for tonight!
But I thought I’d leave us all with this quick little tidbit: by now everyone has read the census news from any of a number of different outlets…more Americans are living in poverty now than in many recent years…that 2010 was worse than 2009 for far too many Americans…that poverty has continued to rise for four consecutive years. There needs to be more discussion on this…but for tonight I am leaving you with this:
Two lines from the actual U.S. Census Bureau press release:
•The poverty rate increased for children younger than 18 (from 20.7 percent in 2009 to 22.0 percent in 2010) and people 18 to 64 (from 12.9 percent in 2009 to 13.7 percent in 2010), while it was not statistically different for people 65 and older (9.0 percent).
•Similar to the patterns observed for the poverty rate in 2010, the number of people in poverty increased for children younger than 18 (15.5 million in 2009 to 16.4 million in 2010) and people 18 to 64 (24.7 million in 2009 to 26.3 million in 2010) and was not statistically different for people 65 and older (3.5 million).
Let me emphasize this statement as it applies to 2009 and 2010: “…was not statistically different for people 65 and older.” Despite a lack of cost of living raises recently, SOCIAL SECURITY WORKS!
Careful, pointing this out will make Social Security an even bigger target. Let us not forget that it wasn’t that long ago that the elderly were eating dog food or shoplifting soup bones from supermarkets (something I witnessed in Madison about thirty years ago).
At the same time as a sixty year old, I want to challenge my fellow seniors citizens to be careful of being selfish. We must be careful not to relax or adopt an “I’ve got mine..” attitude. We have been blessed, and we have a responsibility to share the earth’s resources and our country’s wealth with future generations.