The current US poverty rate dipped to 12.3 percent last year.
The AP reported today:
The nation’s poverty rate dropped last year, the first significant decline since President Bush took office.
The Census Bureau reported Tuesday that 36.5 million Americans, or 12.3 percent — were living in poverty last year. That’s down from 12.6 percent in 2005.
It is nteresting that the AP didn’t mention that the current poverty rates under this president are way below what they were during the Clinton years.
Odd, isn’t it?
Official government figures have the poverty rate at 12.8 in 1968 and 12.6 in 2005.
Here is a look at the Historical US Poverty Rate:
Also… To give you a better idea of how things are today, according to US Census Bureau Figures the poverty rate during the Bush years is much lower than during the Clinton years!
And, that was before today’s numbers were released!
RedState today also posted an article from The Heritage Foundation about the poor in America. Here are a few points from that article about America’s poor:
• 43% of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.
• 80% of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, in 1970, only 36% of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
• Only 6% of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.
• The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)
Is it any wonder then why that “two America’s” line isn’t sticking?
UPDATE: By the way, the US is also breaking manufacturing performance records under George W. Bush.
