 |
| photo/CBS |
Mayors of 29 cities say they cannot meet the needs for emergency food assistance, food stamps, and are turning away 25 percent of applicants. There are already 46 million people on food stamps, a former middle class that never asked for any help until now. Federal and states' programs are frayed at the edges.
And the Republicans claim the Democrats are screaming "class warfare"? These figures don't lie. Just where did the GOP expect the unemployed to go? How do they expect people to eat?
Homelessness is at an all time high, especially among returning Iraq and Afghan war veterans. There are over 4500 homeless female vets who are single mothers.
What kind of a nation - and political leaders - allow such hunger in America? What kind of leadership allows underemployed or unemployed mothers with children to get turned out of their homes, expected to live in their cars or on the street?
America is no longer the home of the well to do middle class. Even the Christmas shopping season is experiencing cutbacks. There is buyer's remorse from the Black Friday shopping spree.
Read that as the spouse who didn't go shopping said, "Are you crazy? With the economy going belly up in Europe it's spreading here next. How long do you think we will have a job and can pay our bills? Take that crap back to the store and get our money back. We need to conserve all we can to prepare for the worst."
"Safety net programs such as food stamps and tax credits kept poverty from rising even higher in 2010, but for many low-income families with work-related and medical expenses, they are considered too `rich' to qualify," said Sheldon Danziger, a University of Michigan public policy professor who specializes in poverty.
"The reality is that prospects for the poor and the near poor are dismal," he said. "If Congress and the states make further cuts, we can expect the number of poor and low-income families to rise for the next several years."
This CBS video is typical of what is happening to the American middle class right now. The Struble family are both college educated. Their combined earning was $85,000 a year until he lost his job in 2009. He hasn't had a steady job since then. They have about $25 in their savings account and less than $100 in their checking account. They are typical of the long term unemployed who no longer receive unemployment benefits.
This CBS video is typical of what is happening to the American middle class right now. The Struble family are both college educated. Their combined earning was $85,000 a year until he lost his job in 2009. He hasn't had a steady job since then. They have about $25 in their savings account and less than $100 in their checking account. They are typical of the long term unemployed who no longer receive unemployment benefits.
