Poverty

Camden, New Jersey: One Of Hundreds Of U.S. Cities That Are Turning Into Rotting, Decaying Hellholes

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– Camden, New Jersey: One Of Hundreds Of U.S. Cities That Are Turning Into Rotting, Decaying Hellholes (Economic Collapse, Dec 15, 2013):

All over America, formerly prosperous communities are being transformed into crime-infested wastelands of poverty and despair.  Of course the most famous example of this is Detroit.  At one time, Detroit was the greatest manufacturing city that the world had ever seen and it had the highest per capita income in the entire country.  But now it has become a rotting, decaying hellhole that the rest of the planet laughs at.  And of course Detroit is far from alone.  There are hundreds of other U.S. cities that are suffering a similar fate.  In this article, the focus is going to be on Camden, New Jersey, but the truth is that there are lots of other “Detroits” and “Camdens” all over the nation.  Jobs and businesses are leaving our cities at a staggering rate, and what is being left behind is poverty, crime and extreme desperation.

Earlier this month, Rolling Stone published an article that took a hard look at the nightmare conditions that exist in Camden.  A city that once made Campbell’s soup and some of this nation’s most famous warships is now a national disgrace.  The following are six of the best quotes out of that article:

Read moreCamden, New Jersey: One Of Hundreds Of U.S. Cities That Are Turning Into Rotting, Decaying Hellholes

UK Embarks On Biggest Food Handout Since Second World War

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Related info:

– Food Poverty: 37% Of British Families Choosing Between Heating And Eating This Winter

– UK embarks on biggest food drive since second world war (Guardian, Nov 29, 2013):

60,000 people to receive help over festive season as ministers reject claim of link to welfare changes

The reality of the UK’s cost of living crisis has come under the spotlight this weekend as Britain embarks on its biggest charity food drive since the second world war, with the aim of collecting tonnes of groceries to give to hungry and penniless families over Christmas.

The effort involves the British Red Cross (BRC) – the first time the charity has been engaged in mass food aid collection in the UK since 1945 – working alongside the Neighbourhood Food Collection, which has been set up by the Trussell Trust food bank network, the food aid distribution charity Fare Share and Tesco.

Read moreUK Embarks On Biggest Food Handout Since Second World War

Veterans Today’s Gordon Duff: Only Rich Americans ‘Deserve To Live’

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Listen to Gordon Duff here:

– Only rich Americans ‘deserve to live’ (PressTV, Nov 19, 2013):

American journalist Gordon Duff says the US economic problems have turned it into a country where only rich people deserve to live decent lives.

“People who have money no matter how they got it, dealing drugs, prostitution, kidnapping children off the street, taking kickbacks from contractors….they deserve to live,” Duff told Press TV on Tuesday.

Read moreVeterans Today’s Gordon Duff: Only Rich Americans ‘Deserve To Live’

Which America Do You Live In? – 21 Hard To Believe Facts About ‘Wealthy America’ And ‘Poor America’

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– Which America Do You Live In? – 21 Hard To Believe Facts About “Wealthy America” And “Poor America” (Economic Collapse,Nov 6, 2013):

Did you know that 40 percent of all American workers make less than $20,000 a year before taxes?  And 65 percent of all American workers make less than $40,000 a year before taxes.  If you work on Wall Street, or have a cushy job with the federal government, or work for a big tech firm out on the west coast, life is probably pretty good for you right now.  But the truth is that most Americans are not living the high life.  In fact, most Americans are just trying to figure out how to survive from month to month.  For many Americans, making a choice between buying food for your family and paying the light bill is a common occurrence.  But if you don’t live in that America, hearing that people actually live like that may sound very strange to you.  After all, if everyone around you has expensive cars, the latest electronic gadgets and million dollar homes, the notion that America is in the midst of a very serious “economic decline” may seem very bizarre to you.

Read moreWhich America Do You Live In? – 21 Hard To Believe Facts About ‘Wealthy America’ And ‘Poor America’

29 Incredible Facts Which Prove That Poverty In America Is Absolutely Exploding

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– 29 Incredible Facts Which Prove That Poverty In America Is Absolutely Exploding (Economic Collapse, Oct 27, 2013):

Did you know that the number of Americans on welfare is higher than the number of Americans that have full-time jobs?  Did you know that 1.2 million public school students in the U.S. are currently homeless?  Anyone that uses the term “economic recovery” to describe what is happening in the United States today is being deeply insulting to the nearly 150 million Americans that are considered to be either “poor” or “low income” at this point.  Yes, things are great in New York City, Washington D.C. and San Francisco, but almost everywhere else economic conditions continue to steadily get worse.  The gap between the wealthy and the poor is at a level that America has never seen before, and this is beginning to create a “Robin Hood mentality” that could cause a tremendous amount of social chaos in the years ahead.  Anger at the “haves” in America continues to rise at a very alarming pace, and the “have nots” are becoming increasingly desperate.  At some point all of this anger is going to boil over, and you won’t want to be anywhere around major population centers when that happens.  Despite unprecedented borrowing by the federal government in recent years, and despite unprecedented money printing by the Federal Reserve, poverty in the United States keeps getting worse with each passing year.

The following are 29 incredible facts which prove that poverty in America is absolutely exploding:

Read more29 Incredible Facts Which Prove That Poverty In America Is Absolutely Exploding

Former President Jimmy Carter: Middle Class Today Resembles Past’s Poor (Video)

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– Carter: Middle class today resembles past’s poor (USA Today, Oct 7, 2013):

OAKLAND, California (AP) — Former President Jimmy Carter said Monday that the income gap in the United States has increased to the point where members of the middle class resemble the Americans who lived in poverty when he occupied the White House.

Read moreFormer President Jimmy Carter: Middle Class Today Resembles Past’s Poor (Video)

RECOVERY: Poverty In New Jersey Reaches 52-Year High

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See also:

– RECOVERY: The Number Of Private Sector Jobs Fell By 278,000 Last Month

– Poverty in N.J. reaches 52-year high, new report shows (NJ.com/The Star Ledger, Sep. 8, 2013):

TRENTON — Poverty in New Jersey continued to grow even as the national recession lifted, reaching a 52-year high in 2011, according to a report released today.

The annual survey by Legal Services of New Jersey found 24.7 percent of the state’s population — 2.1 million residents — was considered poor in 2011. That’s a jump of more than 80,000 people — nearly 1 percent higher than the previous year and 3.8 percent more than pre-recession levels.

“This is not just a one-year or five-year or 10-year variation,” said Melville D. Miller Jr., the president of LSNJ, which gives free legal help to low-income residents in civil cases. “This is the worst that it’s been since the 1960 Census.”

And it may get worse: The report warned Census figures for 2012 to be released this month may be higher. Those numbers are expected to show some of the impact from Hurricane Sandy, which took a bite out of the state’s economy and destroyed a large amount of affordable housing.

Read moreRECOVERY: Poverty In New Jersey Reaches 52-Year High

Dramatic Growth Of Extreme Poverty: Number Of Americans Living On Less Than $2 A Day Increased From 636,000 In 1996 To 1.65 MILLION In 2011

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The number of people living on less than $2 a day per person increased from 636,000 in 1996 to about 1.65 million in 2011.

– Drastic growth in extreme poverty in US (PressTV, Aug 20, 2013):

The number of Americans living on less than $2 a day per person, soared by 160 percent from 1996 to mid-2011, a new report finds.

The report by the National Poverty Center (NPC) indicates that the number increased from 636,000 in 1996 to about 1.65 million in 2011.

The figure of $2 a day per person, used by the researchers, is the United Nations measure of poverty in developing countries, according to the World Socialist Web Site.

Read moreDramatic Growth Of Extreme Poverty: Number Of Americans Living On Less Than $2 A Day Increased From 636,000 In 1996 To 1.65 MILLION In 2011

The Total Destruction Of America’s Middle Class … In Under Seven Minutes (Video)

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FYI.

– The Destruction Of America’s Middle Class (In Under Seven Minutes) (ZeroHedge, Aug 18, 2013):

While hardly news to frequent visitors, especially those who recall the following list, anyone who needs a 7 minute refresher into why the US middle class is on collision course with extinction is urged to watch the following brief video which highlights all the salient facts such as:

  • 76% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck
  • 27% of American have no savings at all
  • 46% of Americans have less than $800 in savings
  • The conversion of America into a part-time working society and the country’s second largest employer – a temp agency.
  • The college trap and the student loan bubble
  • And of course, foodstamps, foodstamps, foodstamps and the nearly 50 million poverty-level Americans who need them to survive

Why seven minutes? Because everyone knows that just like you can’t get “six minute abs“, so it is impossible to recap the doom of America’s middle class in only six minutes (or, gasp, less).


YouTube Added: 16.08.2013

Alarming Number Of US Citizens Face Poverty, 80% Suffer Joblessness

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– Alarming number of US citizens face poverty, 80% suffer joblessness – report (RT, July 29, 2013):

Four out of five US adults come to grips with joblessness, near-poverty or reliance on welfare for at least some parts of their lives. Over 41 percent of the nation’s poor are whites, according to a new report.

In 2011, 46.2 million people in the US were living in poverty and the nation’s official poverty rate was 15 percent, up from 14.3 percent in 2009, according to the US Census Bureau. That figure appears to be the highest number seen in the 52 years for which poverty estimates have been recorded.

Although poverty rates for blacks and Hispanics are proportionately nearly three times higher, by absolute numbers the predominant face of the poor is white, the latest report shows. Economic insecurity among whites is said to be more common than is shown in the government’s poverty data, engulfing over 76 percent of white adults by the time they turn 60, according to a new economic gauge being published next year by Oxford University Press.

Read moreAlarming Number Of US Citizens Face Poverty, 80% Suffer Joblessness

80% Of US Adults Are Near Poverty, Rely On Welfare, Or Are Unemployed

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–  80% Of US Adults Are Near Poverty, Rely On Welfare, Or Are Unemployed (ZeroHedge, July 28, 2013):

Despite consumer confidence at a six-year high, the latest AP survey of the real America shows a stunning four out of five U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, are near poverty, or rely on welfare for at least parts of their lives amid signs of deteriorating economic security and an elusive American dream. Hardship is particularly on the rise among whites, based on several measures. Pessimism among whites about their families’ economic futures has climbed to the highest point since at least 1987.

“Poverty is no longer an issue of ‘them’, it’s an issue of ‘us’,” as ‘the invisible poor’ – lower income whites – are generally dispersed in suburbs (Appalachia, the industrial Midwest, and across America’s heartland, from Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma up through the Great Plains) where more than 60% of the poor are white.

More than 19 million whites fall below the poverty line of $23,021 for a family of four – accounting for more than 41% of the nation’s destitute – nearly double the number of poor blacks and as one survey respondent noted “I think it’s going to get worse.”

Via AP,

…

Hardship is particularly on the rise among whites, based on several measures. Pessimism among that racial group about their families’ economic futures has climbed to the highest point since at least 1987. In the most recent AP-GfK poll, 63 percent of whites called the economy “poor.”

Read more80% Of US Adults Are Near Poverty, Rely On Welfare, Or Are Unemployed

A Soldier’s Last Words: “I Feel No More Pain, I am Free”

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“My body has become nothing but a cage, a source of pain and constant problems. The illness I have has caused me pain that not even the strongest medicines could dull, and there is no cure. All day, every day a screaming agony in every nerve ending in my body. It is nothing short of torture. My mind is a wasteland, filled with visions of incredible horror, unceasing depression, and crippling anxiety, even with all of the medications the doctors dare give. Simple things that everyone else takes for granted are nearly impossible for me. I can not laugh or cry. I can barely leave the house. I derive no pleasure from any activity. Everything simply comes down to passing time until I can sleep again. Now, to sleep forever seems to be the most merciful thing.

You must not blame yourself. The simple truth is this: During my first deployment, I was made to participate in things, the enormity of which is hard to describe. War crimes, crimes against humanity. Though I did not participate willingly, and made what I thought was my best effort to stop these events, there are some things that a person simply can not come back from. I take some pride in that, actually, as to move on in life after being part of such a thing would be the mark of a sociopath in my mind. These things go far beyond what most are even aware of.

To force me to do these things and then participate in the ensuing coverup is more than any government has the right to demand. Then, the same government has turned around and abandoned me. They offer no help, and actively block the pursuit of gaining outside help via their corrupt agents at the DEA. Any blame rests with them.

Is it any wonder then that the latest figures show 22 veterans killing themselves each day? That is more veterans than children killed at Sandy Hook, every single day. Where are the huge policy initiatives? Why isn’t the president standing with those families at the state of the union? Perhaps because we were not killed by a single lunatic, but rather by his own system of dehumanization, neglect, and indifference.

It leaves us to where all we have to look forward to is constant pain, misery, poverty, and dishonor. I assure you that, when the numbers do finally drop, it will merely be because those who were pushed the farthest are all already dead.

And for what? Bush’s religious lunacy? Cheney’s ever growing fortune and that of his corporate friends? Is this what we destroy lives for?”

– Iraq Veteran Daniel Somers’ final words before taking his life

– “I Feel No More Pain, I am Free”: A Soldier’s Last Words (Liberty Blitzkrieg, June 24, 2013):

The above are excerpts from Daniel Somers’ final letter to his family before committing suicide on June 10, 2013.  The depth, thoughtfulness and pain inherent in this man’s words elicit a sense of anger and sadness that knocked me over emotionally.  RIP Daniel Somers.

Full letter below courtesy of Gawker:

“I Am Sorry That It Has Come to This”:  A Soldiers Last Words

Daniel Somers was a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was part of Task Force Lightning, an intelligence unit. In 2004-2005, he was mainly assigned to a Tactical Human-Intelligence Team (THT) in Baghdad, Iraq, where he ran more than 400 combat missions as a machine gunner in the turret of a Humvee, interviewed countless Iraqis ranging from concerned citizens to community leaders and and government officials, and interrogated dozens of insurgents and terrorist suspects. In 2006-2007, Daniel worked with Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) through his former unit in Mosul where he ran the Northern Iraq Intelligence Center. His official role was as a senior analyst for the Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and part of Turkey). Daniel suffered greatly from PTSD and had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and several other war-related conditions. On June 10, 2013, Daniel wrote the following letter to his family before taking his life. Daniel was 30 years old. His wife and family have given permission to publish it.

I am sorry that it has come to this.

Read moreA Soldier’s Last Words: “I Feel No More Pain, I am Free”

Rotting, Decaying And Bankrupt: If You Want To See The Future Of America Just Look At Detroit

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– Rotting, Decaying And Bankrupt – If You Want To See The Future Of America Just Look At Detroit (Economic Collapse, June 16, 2013):

Eventually the money runs out.  Much of America was shocked when the city of Detroit defaulted on a $39.7 million debt payment and announced that it was suspending payments on $2.5 billion of unsecured debt, but those who visit my site on a regular basis were probably not too surprised.  Anyone with half a brain and a calculator could see this coming from a mile away.  But people kept foolishly lending money to the city of Detroit, and now many of them are going to get hit really hard.  Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr has submitted a proposal that would pay unsecured creditors about 10 cents on the dollar.  Similar haircuts would be made to underfunded pension and health benefits for retirees.  Orr is hoping that the creditors and the unions that he will be negotiating with will accept this package, but he concedes that there is still a “50-50 chance” that the city of Detroit will be forced to formally file for bankruptcy.  But what Detroit is facing is not really that unique.  In fact, Detroit is a perfect example of what the future of America is going to look like.  We live in a nation that is rotting, decaying, drowning in debt and racing toward insolvency.  Already there are dozens of other cities across the nation that are poverty-ridden, crime-infested hellholes just like Detroit is, and hundreds of other communities are rapidly heading in that direction.  So don’t look down on Detroit.  They just got there before the rest of us.

The following are some facts about Detroit that are absolutely mind-blowing…

Read moreRotting, Decaying And Bankrupt: If You Want To See The Future Of America Just Look At Detroit

The Real Numbers: Half Of America In Poverty … And It’s Creeping Upward

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Don’t miss:

– 40 Statistics About The Fall Of The U.S. Economy That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe

– The Real Numbers: Half of America in Poverty — and It’s Creeping Upward (Alternet, May 26, 2013):

The Census Bureau has reported that one out of six Americans lives in poverty. A shocking figure. But it’s actually much, much worse.

The Census Bureau has reported that 15% of Americans live in poverty. A shocking figure. But it’s actually much worse. Inequality is spreading like a shadowy disease through our country, infecting more and more households, and leaving a shrinking number of financially secure families to maintain the charade of prosperity.

1. Almost half of Americans had NO assets in 2009

Analysis of  Economic Policy Institute data shows that Mitt Romney’s famous  47 percent, the alleged ‘takers,’ have taken nothing. Their debt exceeded their assets in 2009.

2. It’s Even Worse 3 Years Later

Since the recession, the disparities have continued to grow. An  OECD report states that “inequality has increased by more over the past three years to the end of 2010 than in the previous twelve,” with the U.S. experiencing one of the widest gaps among OECD countries. The 30-year  decline in wages has worsened since the recession, as low-wage jobs have replaced formerly secure middle-income positions.

3. Based on wage figures, half of Americans are in or near poverty.

Read moreThe Real Numbers: Half Of America In Poverty … And It’s Creeping Upward

22 Facts That Prove That The Bottom 90 Percent Of America Is Systematically Getting Poorer

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– 22 Facts That Prove That The Bottom 90 Percent Of America Is Systematically Getting Poorer (Economic Collapse, May 1, 2013):

The mainstream media is not telling you this, but the truth is that most Americans are steadily getting poorer.  The middle class is being absolutely eviscerated, and poverty is soaring to unprecedented heights.  The fact that 90 percent of the population is constantly sliding downhill is not good for our society.  The United States is supposed to be a land of opportunity with a vibrant free market system that enables average people to make better lives for themselves.  Unfortunately, free enterprise is being strangled to death in the United States today.  Entrepreneurs and small business are being pounded into oblivion by rules, regulations, red tape and oppressive levels of taxation.  At the same time, millions of jobs have been shipped out of the United States by corporate giants and sent to countries where it is legal to pay slave labor wages.  All of this has happened under both Democrats and Republicans.  Meanwhile, wealth and power continue to become even more heavily concentrated in the hands of big government and big corporations.  Our founding fathers warned that we should not allow such large concentrations of wealth and power, because they tend to funnel the rewards of society into the hands of a select few.  We need to change the rules of the game so that entrepreneurs, small businesses and average workers can thrive in this country once again.  If big government and big corporations continue to gobble up even more wealth and power, the wealth inequality that we see right now will only get even worse.

The following are 22 facts that prove that the bottom 90 percent of America is systematically getting poorer…

Read more22 Facts That Prove That The Bottom 90 Percent Of America Is Systematically Getting Poorer

Child Hunger Is Exploding In Greece – And 14 Signs That It Is Starting To Happen In America Too

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– Child Hunger Is Exploding In Greece – And 14 Signs That It Is Starting To Happen In America Too (Economic Collapse, April 25, 2013):

The world is heading into a horrific economic nightmare, and an inordinate amount of the suffering is going to fall on innocent children.  If you want to get an idea of what America is going to look like in the not too distant future, just check out what is happening in Greece.  At this point, Greece is experiencing a full-blown economic depression.  As I have written about previously, the unemployment rate in Greece has now risen to 27 percent, which is much higher than the peak unemployment rate that the U.S. economy experienced during the Great Depression of the 1930s.  And as you will read about below, child hunger is absolutely exploding in Greece right now.  Some families are literally trying to survive on pasta and ketchup.  But don’t think for a moment that it can’t happen here.  Sadly, the truth is that child hunger is already rising very rapidly in our poverty-stricken cities.  Never before have we had so many Americans unable to take care of themselves.  Food stamp enrollment and child homelessness have soared to brand new all-time records, and there are actually thousands of Americans that are so poor that they live in tunnels underneath our cities.  But for millions of other Americans, the suffering is not quite so dramatic.  Instead, they just watch their hopes and their dreams slowly slip away as they struggle to find a way to make it from month to month.  There are millions of parents that lead lives that are filled with constant stress and anxiety as they try to figure out how to provide the basics for their children.  How do you tell a child that you can’t give them any dinner even though you have been trying as hard as you can?  What many families go through on a regular basis is absolutely heartbreaking.  Unfortunately, more poor families slip through the cracks with each passing day, and these are supposedly times in which we are experiencing an “economic recovery”.  So what are things going to look like when the next major economic downturn strikes?

Read moreChild Hunger Is Exploding In Greece – And 14 Signs That It Is Starting To Happen In America Too

The Tunnel People That Live Under The Streets Of America

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– The Tunnel People That Live Under The Streets Of America (Economic Collapse, April 8, 2013):

Did you know that there are thousands upon thousands of homeless people that are living underground beneath the streets of major U.S. cities?  It is happening in Las Vegas, it is happening in New York City and it is even happening in Kansas City.  As the economy crumbles, poverty in the United States is absolutely exploding and so is homelessness.  In addition to the thousands of “tunnel people” living under the streets of America, there are also thousands that are living in tent cities, there are tens of thousands that are living in their vehicles and there are more than a million public school children that do not have a home to go back to at night.  The federal government tells us that the recession “is over” and that “things are getting better”, and yet poverty and homelessness in this country continue to rise with no end in sight.  So what in the world are things going to look like when the next economic crisis hits?

When I heard that there were homeless people living in a network of underground tunnels beneath the streets of Kansas City, I was absolutely stunned.  I have relatives that live in that area.  I never thought of Kansas City as one of the more troubled cities in the United States.

Read moreThe Tunnel People That Live Under The Streets Of America

The Explosive Growth Of Poverty In America: 21 Statistics

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– 21 Statistics About The Explosive Growth Of Poverty In America That Everyone Should Know (Economic Collapse, April 4, 2013):

If the economy is getting better, then why does poverty in America continue to grow so rapidly?  Yes, the stock market has been hitting all-time highs recently, but also the number of Americans living in poverty has now reached a level not seen since the 1960s.  Yes, corporate profits are at levels never seen before, but so is the number of Americans on food stamps.  Yes, housing prices have started to rebound a little bit (especially in wealthy areas), but there are also more than a million public school students in America that are homeless.  That is the first time that has ever happened in U.S. history.  So should we measure our economic progress by the false stock market bubble that has been inflated by Ben Bernanke’s reckless money printing, or should we measure our economic progress by how the poor and the middle class are doing?  Because if we look at how average Americans are doing these days, then there is not much to be excited about.  In fact, poverty continues to experience explosive growth in the United States and the middle class continues to shrink.  Sadly, the truth is that things are not getting better for most Americans.  With each passing year the level of economic suffering in this country continues to go up, and we haven’t even reached the next major wave of the economic collapse yet.  When that strikes, the level of economic pain in this nation is going to be off the charts.

The following are 21 statistics about the explosive growth of poverty in America that everyone should know…

Read moreThe Explosive Growth Of Poverty In America: 21 Statistics

Poverty Hits America’s Suburbs

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– Sprawling and struggling: Poverty hits America’s suburbs (NBC News, March 22, 2013):

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Like many Americans who move to the suburbs, Tara Simons came to West Hartford because she wanted her daughter to grow up in a nice, safe place with good schools.Her fall from a more financially secure suburban life to one among the working poor also happened for the same reason it’s happened to so many others. She had a bout of unemployment and couldn’t find a new job that paid very well.

Read morePoverty Hits America’s Suburbs

Italy Is Not Spain … It’s Worse!

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– Italy Is Not Spain – It’s Worse (ZeroHedge, Feb 28, 2013):

With Rajoy quietly gloating at his political fraud being off the front-pages thanks to Italian elections, it seems the more we dig into Italian reality, the weaker the story becomes. The meme of the last few years has been that “at least we’re not as bad as Greece” and rightly so, for as Bloomberg’s Niraj Shah notes today, Greece’s poverty rate is a stunning 31% (against Holland’s 15.7%). However, while all eyes have been focused on Spain’s dismal economy, the sad reality is that Italy is worse than Spain in that its poverty rate is a breath-taking 28.2% (relative to Spain’s 27%) – even though the unemployment rates in the two nations are vastly different (Spain 26% and Italy 11.2%). Given this fact it is perhaps not surprising that the ‘people’ voted against austerity and furthermore, that Italy’s CDS has pushed above Spain’s for the first time in over a year.

Chart: Bloomberg Briefs

The U.S. Has An Even Larger Gap Between The Rich And The Poor Than Downton Abbey Does

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FYI.

– The U.S. Has An Even Larger Gap Between The Rich And The Poor Than Downton Abbey Does (Economic Collapse, Jan 25, 2013):

There are two very different Americas today.  In one, the stock market is soaring, high end homes are selling briskly, big banks and hedge funds are rolling in money as if the last financial crisis never even happened, and life is really, really good.  In the other America, good jobs are incredibly scarce, incomes are declining, and poverty is skyrocketing to levels that we have never seen before.  The gap between the wealthy and the poor in America is getting wider with each passing day.  In fact, it is my contention that the U.S. has an even larger gap between the rich and the poor than Downton Abbey does.  If you have never seen Downton Abbey, you really should.  It is one of the most extraordinary shows to appear on television in years.  It is a drama set in the UK which follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants throughout the early part of the 20th Century.  It can be a bit jarring to watch servants wait on their masters hand and foot and refer to them by such titles as “Lord” and “Lady”, but the truth is that in many ways there is more inequality today than there was back then.  As far as people living in the worst areas of cities such as Detroit and Cleveland are concerned, the socialites that live on Fifth Avenue in New York City or in multi-million dollar homes out in the Hamptons might as well be from another planet.  If you have lots of money, America is still a really great place to live.  If you barely have any money, America can be really cold and cruel.  Sadly, our politicians continue to pursue policies that make things even better for those working for the establishment in places such as Washington D.C. and Manhattan, and worse for all the rest of us.  This has especially been true over the course of the past four years.  If nothing is done, the gaping chasm between the rich and the poor will continue to get even worse, and in the end that will have some really severe consequences for our society.

Read moreThe U.S. Has An Even Larger Gap Between The Rich And The Poor Than Downton Abbey Does

35 Incredibly Shocking Statistics That Will Scare Any Baby Boomer

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– Do You Want To Scare A Baby Boomer? (Economic Collapse, Jan 17, 2013):

If you want to frighten Baby Boomers, just show them the list of statistics in this article.  The United States is headed for a retirement crisis of unprecedented magnitude, and we are woefully unprepared for it.  At this point, more than 10,000 Baby Boomers are reaching the age of 65 every single day, and this will continue to happen for almost the next 20 years.  The number of senior citizens in America is projected to more than double during the first half of this century, and some absolutely enormous financial promises have been made to them.  So will we be able to keep those promises to the hordes of American workers that are rapidly approaching retirement?  Of course not.  State and local governments are facing trillions in unfunded pension liabilities.  Medicare is facing a 38 trillion dollar shortfall over the next 75 years.  The Social Security system is facing a 134 trillion dollar shortfall over the next 75 years.  Meanwhile, nearly half of all American workers have less than $10,000 saved for retirement.  The truth is that I was being incredibly kind when I said earlier that we are “woefully unprepared” for what is coming.  The biggest retirement crisis in history is rapidly approaching, and a lot of the promises that were made to the Baby Boomers are going to get broken.The following are 35 incredibly shocking statistics that will scare just about any Baby Boomer…

Read more35 Incredibly Shocking Statistics That Will Scare Any Baby Boomer

VeteransToday’s Gordon Duff: ‘Unimaginable Number Of Veterans Homeless’ (Video)

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Don’t miss:

– America’s 75 Economic Numbers From 2012 That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe

– ‘Unimaginable number of veterans homeless’ (PressTV, Dec 30, 2012):

American military veterans who have returned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are homeless in “almost unimaginable numbers,” says Gordon Duff, senior editor at Veterans Today.

American veterans are returning to the United States “where our economy is in total shambles, where we have massive unemployment in the non-veteran work force,” he in a phone interview on Saturday.

“Despite our lowered unemployment figures, a large percentage of those are people that are no longer even bothering to look for work because there is no work in the U.S.,” he added.

Read moreVeteransToday’s Gordon Duff: ‘Unimaginable Number Of Veterans Homeless’ (Video)

US: 16 Things About 2013 That Are Really Going To Stink

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See also:

– America’s 75 Economic Numbers From 2012 That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe

– 16 Things About 2013 That Are Really Going To Stink (Economic Collapse, Dec 28, 2012):

The beginning of the year has traditionally been a time of optimism when we all look forward to the exciting things that are going to happen over the next 12 months.  Unfortunately, there are a whole bunch of things about 2013 that we already know are going to stink.  Taxes are going to go up, good paying jobs will continue to leave the country, small businesses will continue to be destroyed, the number of Americans living in poverty will continue to soar, our infrastructure will continue to decay, global food supplies will likely continue to dwindle and the U.S. national debt will continue to explode.  Our politicians continue to pursue the same policies that got us into this mess, and yet they continue to expect things to magically turn around.  But that is not the way that things work in the real world.  Bad decisions lead to bad outcomes.  Instead of realizing that what we are doing is not working, our “leaders” continue to give us more of the same.  As a result, there are going to be a lot of things about 2013 that will not be great.  Sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that everything will be “okay” somehow is not going to help anyone.  We’ve got to make people understand exactly what is happening and why it is happening if we ever hope to see real changes.

The following are 16 things about 2013 that are really going to stink…

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Dr. Webster Tarpley: The Second Great Depression Deepening Across The Globe

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This is the Greatest Depression.

– The second great depression deepening across the globe (PressTV, Dec 24, 2012):

In Charles Dickens’ celebrated short story A Christmas Carol (1843), the Malthusian miser and London stock exchange speculator Ebenezer Scrooge is told by the ghost of his deceased partner Jacob Marley that “it is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow men, and traveled far and wide” for the purpose of doing good works of charity and thus alleviating human suffering.

In this spirit, let us briefly examine the economic condition of humanity at the close of 2012.

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