Demand Real Numbers - and Work to Lower Them

The Labor Department today issued its “lower living standard income levels" (LLSIL) for 2005.

Did you know we have three classes of poor people? Oops. That was probably politically incorrect. What I meant to say was that we have three classes of economically disadvantaged people:

• one who receives (or is part of a family who receives) cash assistance under federal, state and local funded programs; or
  
• earns at or under the poverty guidelines (developed by the Department of Health and Human Services) for at least six months (which in 2005 for a family of four living in the continental United States is $19,350); or
  
• earns 70% or less of the LLSIL, which varies by region (highest in the metro northeast at $23,800 and ranging downward to the lowest of $19,290 in the non-metro south).

It’s bad enough that we live in a place where it is possible for residents to be poor in multiple ways. What’s worse though is that these numbers are fake.

For instance, the federal government provides Food Stamps to families at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level. And the LLSIL does not include all basic expenses such as child care. (See the Economic Policy Institute’s FAQs.)

What this means is that we have far more poor people than our government reports. And, the latest report (2003) said there were 35.9 MILLION people living in poverty in the United States. In addition, 45 million had no health insurance.

These numbers – and their respective percentages – have grown since the previous years.

In 2003, there were 290,809,777 people in the United States. This means that AT MINIMUM 12.34% of our population does not have enough to be self-sufficient.

This is not acceptable. We live in the wealthiest, strongest country in the world. It is time that the policies we create deal responsibly with the people who comprise the country. It is time we work, speak out, and counter the current regressive administration and move forward to make life more equitable. You can help. Nominate yourself as a part of a progressive parallel government. Work with me to create change.

And, contact the Secretaries of Labor and HHS, letting them know we demand accuracy and real numbers. Contact Secretary Chao at 202-693-6000 and Secretary Leavitt at 202-619-0257.

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Written in conjunction with Jennifer Hicks.