Independence Day

I want to wish all my readers and fellow bloggers a very happy and safe Independence Day. But while we're celebrating over two hundred years of American independence, we should remember the sad shape that our country is currently in. Consider the following:

* About 50% of all Americans (more than 160 million people) are considered "near poor" -- meaning they live on an income of less than twice the official poverty level.

* More than 20%, or one out of every five, children in the United States is in a family that lives below the poverty line.

* Over 21 million people in the United States live in extreme poverty (with incomes of less than half of the poverty level).

* There are more people receiving Food Stamps right now than at any point in our country's history.

* The official government unemployment rate remains above 8% (and that is an undercount, since millions of out-of-work people are not counted in the official government figures).

* The wages of the average American worker has less buying power than it did in the 1970s (and the same is true of the minimum wage).

This country is in serious economic trouble -- and that won't be fixed by cutting education funding or social programs that help hurting people. And it sure won't be fixed by cutting taxes for the richest people or the corporations.