Released on Tuesday, the Census Bureau’s annual report flashed a
dismal economic outlook, showing that U.S. poverty has exceeded
46 million people — nearly 1 in 6 Americans — and the number
without health insurance spiking from 49 million to almost 50
million. As unemployment continues to hover around 9 percent,
many Americans are financially exhausted, as the overall poverty
rate reached 15.1 percent, up from the 14.3 percent recorded the
previous year. The number of Americans now below the poverty
line is the highest number recorded since 1959, when the Census
first started analyzing such data. Bruce Meyer, a public policy
professor at the University of Chicago, warns that poverty
levels may further escalate, as the demand for food stamps rises
and a "staggeringly high" number of Americans are becoming
unemployed for more than 26 weeks. Professor Meyer notes that
more than 6 million people are categorized as "long-term
unemployed," and are more susceptible to falling into poverty.
Last year’s median househo