State of the Union

Both the Republican and the Democratic parties are tools of the major corporations who supply them with campaign cash. The Green Party does not accept money from major corporations. Join with us to build a truly democratic party that represents the people, not big business.

Big Banks

Too big to fail has cost us all billions in government bail out. I would like to encourage everyone in Southwest Missouri to move their money to a credit union. Unlike a bank, a credit union is owned by the people who put their money there. Invest in our community and keep your money here.

Short Post Today on the Health Debate

It is truly sad that the debate in Washington continues to center on the impact of legislation on the health care industry. What we really need is an understanding that health care is about human beings who have value and dignity. Regardless of corporate interests, a government should do what is best for its citizens. The real questions- mostly unasked in our current national debate- are about what it means to treat people with compassion and dignity. How the insurance industry fares should be very far down the list, the real question should be: how to provide for the health of a human being.

Poverty in America on the Rise

This has been a difficult year for all of us. As we approach Christmas I would like to ask us to remember the poor in America. The following is extracted from a report compiled by the US conference of Catholic Bishops. Remember, this was the last year for which we have data and before our current recession. As of 2004, on average, more than one out of every three Americans, or more precisely, 37 percent of all people in the United States, are officially classified as living in poverty during some portion of the year. (U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2004) The average amount by which poor people’s incomes fell below the poverty line was greater in 2004 than any other year since recordkeeping began in 1975. The average amount by which the poor fell below the poverty line was $7,775 per family in 2004.

Since 1999, the number of poor Americans suffering from “food insecurity” and hunger has increased by 3.9 million – 2.8 million adults and more than one million children. In 2002, 34.9 million people lived in households experiencing food insecurity – that is, not enough food for basic nourishment – compared to 33.6 million in 2001 and 31 million in 1999. (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Household Food Security in the United States, 2002, October 2003.)
The American Midwest and South saw the greatest numbers of people entering poverty in 2004; the number in the Midwest rose from 6.9 million to 7.5 million, while the South rose from 14 to 14.5 million people. Yet the two regions stand at the opposite ends of the percentage of people living in poverty for all regions in America. In the Midwest and Northeast, 11.6 percent of all people live in poverty, compared to 12.6 percent for the West, and 14.1 for the South – the highest of all. (U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2004)

We are the world’s richest country: we consume 25% of the world’s resources. Yet the U.S. child poverty rate is two-to-three times higher than other major industrialized nations. According to the latest comparative numbers, the child poverty rate in Sweden in recent years has been less than four percent; in the Czech Republic, less than six percent; France, seven percent; Germany, 10 percent, Australia and Japan, 12 percent; Canada, 14 percent; while, in the United States, the child poverty rate has remained at over 16 percent for the past two years – with some sources placing the comparative number at more than 23 percent of all children in America living in poverty. (Society at a Glance, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2002.)

We should find it wholly and completely unacceptable that the most vulnerable among us are increasingly victimized. For the fourth consecutive year, the poverty rate and the number of Americans living in poverty both rose from the prior years. Since 2000, the number of poor Americans has grown by more than 6 million. The official poverty rate in 2004 (the most current year for which figures are available) was 12.7 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2003. Total Americans below the official poverty thresholds numbered 37 million, a figure 1.1 million higher than the 35.9 million in poverty in 2003. (U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2004)

Our vulnerable elderly population is suffering too. The poverty rate for America’s elderly population – those people over 65 – stands at 9.8 percent, or one out of every ten seniors, while the child poverty rate is 17.8 percent, or one out of every six children in America.

For Americans 18 to 64 years old, both the number in poverty and the poverty rate rose from 2003 to 2004 – from 19.4 million to 20.5 million, and from 10.8 percent to 11.3 percent, respectively. The number of elderly in poverty decreased to 9.8 percent in 2004 down from 10.2 percent in 2003, while the number in poverty remained unchanged at 3.5 million. (U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2004)

Contrary to media portrayal and popular misconception, the number and rate of Non-Hispanic white Americans living in poverty rose the greatest among all groups, to 8.6 percent and 16.9 million, up from 8.2 percent and 15.9 million. Among Hispanics, the poverty rate remained unchanged at 21.9 percent in 2004 — yet one out of every five Hispanics in America – 9.1 million people — still live in poverty. And for African Americans, the poverty rate remained unchanged in 2004 at 24.7 percent. Still, nearly one out of every four African Americans lives in poverty, which is 8.8 million people. Asian Americans decreased from 11.8% in 2003 to 9.8% in 2004. (U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2004, Current Population Reports, August 2004)

In 2004, 7.9 million American families – 10.2 percent of all families – were in poverty, up from 7.6 million (10 percent) in 2003. (U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2004)

In 2004, the number of people living in extreme poverty, that is, with incomes below half the poverty line, remained the same at 15.6 million people. The number of Americans living in extreme poverty reached the highest level on record, since data first became available in 1975. The following table shows the states with the greatest increase in poverty between 2000 and 2004.

Wisconsin

1.9 %
Kentucky

1.8 %
Indiana

1.3 %
Missouri

1.2 %
Alabama

1.2 %
Maryland

1.2 %
Georgia

1.0 %
Nevada

1.0 %
South Dakota

1.0 %
Ohio

0.9 %
Pennsylvania

0.9 %

I find it appalling that in America we have this level of poverty. Remember, these are statistics from before the current recession. So as we approach this Christmas, with its message of compassion, ask yourself what you can do to make your corner of the world a better place. Here in Southwest Missouri, join with The Progressive Party to bring real change to our political system and support social justice.

The Arts and Education

In my previous role as the Executive Director of an art museum in rural Appalachia I dealt with a number of issues relating to the arts, poverty and education. One of the principal concerns I had is how we as a society encourage participation in arts and cultural activities. The demographic profile of arts and culture consumers strongly suggests that they tend to have a college degree, higher than average incomes and other similar quantifiers.

We know that all people have the capacity to enjoy and appreciate the arts. Socio-economic status should have no bearing on who participates. But for many reasons, it does. Education, acculturation, familiarity and comfort level certainly play a part. These are the same quantifiers which often predict a person’s economic competitiveness.

While official US statistics suggest that the US literacy rate is 99%, the standards for this are despairingly low. Contrary to the official statistics, one recent government study demonstrated that between 21% and 23% of American adults were unable to locate information in text or could not make even low-level inferences from printed materials, and many were unable to process comparatively simple pieces of written information. In short, lowering the standards may make the official statistics look better, but it won’t help our children prepare for their future.

So what can we do as a society to change this? The proverbial 3 R’s alone are insufficient. All too often they are invoked as cover for budget cuts and bias. We should start by recognizing the importance of art, theater and music in our development as human beings. Studying the arts aids in developing our critical analytical abilities, it increases our ability to think creatively and in many ways it reinforces all facets of learning. If our children are not exposed to art, literature, theater and music, we are placing them at the back of the line in the competitive global economy.