According to the New Census Numbers ONE out of SEVEN people live in Poverty

The Census Bureau came out with its 2009 numbers on poverty. In their research, 14.3 percent Americans are in poverty. The number increased from 13.2 percent from 2008. This is the largest amount of Americans below the poverty line since 1959. The biggest increase came in a racial demographic Hispanic population. This is not good for America.
Two reasons this is not good for America.  Even though businesses are recovering, American citizens are not feeling the recovery yet. Second the increase of Hispanics into poverty. I will dissect these two groups in the following paragraph.
American businesses are recovering the stock market has rebounded from its low of 7,029 points in January of 2009 and has increased 3500 points now in September of 2010. Most businesses have recovered and most of the TARP money has been paid back to US Government. Our financial sector  is slowly recovering, and now the biggest problem for the American economy is that the working class has not recovered. These numbers show that the working class has not recovered like businesses. Granted most small businesses are not in shape to survive  another collapse, but its important to realize if businesses are going to survive the standard of living of Americans needs to improve. 
The second reason the increase of Hispanics into poverty is also troubling. It is known that the Hispanic population is the largest growing population in the United States. The increase of Hispanics into the US population, but their inability to get into the middle class will affect America. With the largest growing group having the most difficultly becoming middle class, the need to help this group is very important.  Now how to help this group is the more complex problem that needs to be solved.  I will tackle this in a later post.
It is important overall to realize that to solve our problems we need to work together. 

O'Keefe is Not Bringing New and Radical Approach to Journalism, but Airing Out Nixon's Dirty Tricks

This week James O'Keefe (the lying pimp from ACORN videos) and three other cohorts were caught in impersonating phone repairmen and recording it in Senator Mary Landrieu office in New Orleans. According to the New York Times O'Keefe's argument for doing this was that rumors were floating around that her office was not answering their phones to hear complaints about healthcare legislation. Landrieu's office reported that many people called in in waves and left voice messages for the Senator due to the fact her staff did not have the capacity to answer all the phone calls. O'Keefe's idea was that they would record the telephone men and record a tape of them unable to reach Landrieu's office. They were caught and arrested. All men in the group face a 250,000 dollar fine and up to 10 years in Prison.


Tampering with phone lines is not a new tactic, Nixon had men in July of 1972 to bug Democrat Headquarters. They were caught and it was called Watergate and led to the fall of Nixon. Those men’s' actions were perceived by the public as criminal actions. O'Keefe and his men followed in the spirit of Nixon's men and not in investigative journalism.

As American citizens, we need to call out the injustices perpetrated by people like O'Keefe.

Bauer's Comments Shows the Lack of Caring by some People of the United States

Thursday, at a town hall meeting Lt. Governor Andre Bauer made some comments about some people's dependency of people on government assistance. These comments were in very poor taste. In the Washington Post AP writer Seanna Adcox leaves us with this quote from Andre Bauer.

My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed! You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that.

 Bauer has half-heartedly apologized for the comments equaling poor people to stray animals. His lack of compassion shows how out of touch politicians are to reality sometimes. I am reminded of attending lectures done by the former Senator from South Dakota George McGovern and his crusade to end hunger. What McGovern found out from his travels is that if you want people to go to school, which a meal was provided, that there would be higher attendance at the school. This includes an increase of attendance from boys and girls, which means a more educated populous. They would have a better job outlook. This will in the end lessen the dependency, and prove Bauer's comments wrong.

As good Americans, we need to look out for the less fortunate citizens and help them. We should not destroy social programs that help fed 31 million (2000 est.) Americans. Political rhetoric like Bauer's comments should not be accepted in American society. We as a nation need to stand strong, because we are as strong as our weakest link.