Millions Living In Extreme Poverty In U.S.

We already know that about 50% of the American population is living in conditions described as "near poverty" -- defined as living on an income of less than double the official poverty level. That's more than 156,000,000 people living under or close to the poverty level as defined by the government (and those living close are only a paycheck or two from dropping below the poverty level themselves). We also know that at least one out of every five children in this country lives in a family with an income below the official poverty level.

Those numbers show just how serious the recession has been for Americans. But there are other numbers that are even more disheartening -- the numbers of those who are currently living in "extreme poverty" in the United States. In 2000, the percentage of Americans living in extreme poverty was 4.5. By 2010, that percentage had grown to 6.7. That's a growth of about 48.89%.

Extreme poverty is defined as an income below half of the official government poverty level -- or below $5,851 for a single person or $11,509 for a family of four. Now 6.7% may not sound like a large number to some of you, but what it means is that more than 21,000,000 Americans are now living in extreme poverty. And the percentage of people slipping into extreme poverty is the fastest growing segment of people in the bottom 50% of the population.

How can our members of Congress (most of whom are rich) sleep at night in light of these numbers -- especially the Republicans, who want to make large cuts in our social safety net. Do they simply not care about these fellow Americans (as long as they can give their rich buddies larger tax cuts)?

Even with our current troubled economy, the United States is still the richest nation on this planet. How is it possible for such a nation to justify allowing over 21 million of its citizens to live in extreme poverty? It's not possible, and any attempt to do so is not just mean-spirited -- it is downright immoral.