By Gary Dickson
President Herbert Hoover, one of Stanford”s first graduates, once said, “In America today, we are nearer a final triumph over poverty than is any other land.” His statement was true for several generations, but now the number of Americans living in poverty is on the rise. According to statistics released by the Census Bureau on Sept. 13, there are now an estimated 46.2 million Americans living with household income that places them in the impoverished range. Based on the Census Bureau”s 2009 Poverty Thresholds, a single person under the age of 65 living on $11,161 or less, an over-65 single person earning $10,289 or less and two adults with two children with a household income of $21,756 or under are all living in poverty.
The superintendent of Lakeport schools spoke to the Lakeport Rotary Club recently to give a presentation on the state of the Lakeport district. One of the most chilling facts that she presented that day was that 66 percent of the children attending Lakeport schools are categorized as coming from poverty-stricken households. The more chilling corresponding fact is that, when it comes to students from impoverished homes, Lakeport”s district is the second-best in Lake County. Only the Middletown district has fewer students from poverty-rated households. That means the rest are above a 66-percent student poverty level.
It is a tragedy that the level of poverty here in Lake County is so high. Nationally, 15.1 percent of Americans live in poverty, which is the highest percentage measured since 1993. When it comes to jobs and income in Lake County, we”re losing the national battle.
Over America ”s past, one of the factors that have made it so great has always been the extremely large middle class population. That middle class population has predominantly provided the tax dollars that have built streets, highways, schools and a strong military. Some people think that more charity is funded by the wealthy. I believe that the bulk comes from hardworking people of the middle class who have always been willing to reach deep into their pocket to help sick people in their community, to supply school supplies when the schools can”t and to help provide funds for community projects that makes their town a better place to live.
Now, that huge middle class is shrinking and America is becoming more like so many of the nations we have been sending millions of dollars worth of aid to throughout our great history. Of course, the primary cause of the transformation is the gradually decreasing supply of decent-paying jobs all across the country. A lot of jobs have been lost due to the weak economy we have been living with ever since December of 2007.
But, even before the recession started plenty of large companies were killing thousands of American jobs by seeking methods to cut costs in order to increase their profit margin, by means such as outsourcing, robotics and by cutting the level of customer service.
Companies need to make a profit, but it looks like winning the battle for corporate profits is going to cause us to lose the war to keep the American dream alive. As everyone knows, but seems to ignore, we are rapidly approaching the situation in which so many people will be receiving government support that the tax dollars from those who are working will not provide the funds to cover the costs for those who are not. I am not looking forward to what will happen in this country when that occurs.
I agree with what Colorado congressional candidate Dave Anderson has to say about our current situation. Four years into this recession no progress has been made toward increasing jobs.
He stated, “Americans, not Chinese, must produce more of what Americans consume. Until the predatory drain of employment, income and technology is stopped there will be NO RECOVERY.”
Gary Dickson is the publisher of the Record-Bee. Call him at 263-5636, ext. 24. Email him at gdickson@record-bee.com.
