Poverty rises in Bush's USA

Poverty rises in USA as Neo-Cons push for more foreign adventures -


9/4/2004 10:00:00 AM GMT

The bads times have risen for the poor in Bush's America
As the neo conservative within the ruling US administration push for more foreign adventures many Americans “back home” are more concerned about where the next meal is coming from. More Americans today are without basic health care than any time during the last decade.
 
Recent statistics show some 12.5% of Americans live in poverty a 1.3 million rise over the last years numbers. On Thursday August 26th, the Census Bureau revealed that 35.9m Americans, or 12.5% of the population, fell below this poverty line in 2003.
 
This increase contrasts sharply against the fall in poverty throughout the Clinton years, from 15.1% in 1993 to 11.3% in 2000.
 
The lack of well paid jobs remains a constant problem which the current administration seems unable to tackle.  American businesses are reluctant to hire, and even when they do, they are rarely offer health insurance.
 
Employer-sponsored health plans covered 1.3m fewer Americans last year than the year before. State governments are strapped for cash; as a result, they are cutting back on child-care assistance. Many welfare recipients are now close to using up all the months of help they are entitled to. Unfortunately, those who remained dependent on welfare when times were good are the least likely to get a job now that times are not so good.
 
Many poor Americans complaint that the current administration has done little if anything to assist them but has pursued a policy of making the rich richer at the expense of the worker. In 1980, the average CEO was paid around 40 times as much as the average worker; now the multiple is above 400.
 
Furthermore as the Bush administrations first terms comes to an end President Bush will become the first President since 1930 under whom the number of people in employment has actually shrunk.