New numbers released by the the Census Bureau this morning indicate "the nation's poverty rate held steady at 12.5%, not statistically different from the 12.3% in 2006. That meant there were 37.3 million people living in poverty in 2007." The number of uninsured dropped to 45.7 million (15.3 percent of the population), down from 47 million in 2006.
As I'm writing this, I find myself wondering how we as a nation, arguably the greatest, most powerful, and most successful nation in the history of the world, can tolerate this reality. One in every eight Americans live in poverty, and are one setback from being homeless- if they're not already.. Two in every eleven Americans have no health insurance, and are one illness away from complete catastrophe. How can we claim any semblance of humanity and yet not be mad as Hell that this reality exists in this great land? How can we credibly claim to be the most enlightened and advanced political and economic system in the world when such a significant portion of our population is so vulnerable and so uncared for?
There are so many manifestations of this "(&^% you; I got mine...you get your own" attitude that has been part and parcel of Republican governing philosophy. When corporations take precedence over people, when the interests of Big Business and the wealthy trump those of the most vulnerable segments of the American population, how can we reasonably claim any measure of moral authority as we attempt to export American-style democracy to the rest of the world?
I'm constantly amazed that we can continue to flush untold billions down the rabbit hole that is Iraq...yet we cannot care for those in this country who are truly in need- the sick, the poor, the unemployed- of a hand up. Three years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, there is still much yet to be done. New Orleans is a shell of it's former self...and I can't help but wonder what the response might have been had Katrina and Rita hit the Hamptons.
I'm not here to tell you that Barack Obama is going to instantly turn America into a more compassionate and caring place...but it's not like things could be much worse, right? Well, we could elect John McCain and watch the distance between the haves and the have-nots, between the proletariat and the oligarchy, grow ever more pronounced with each passing day.
We're better than this, aren't we? When did we become so thoroughly selfish and self-absorbed? When did we stop looking after those around us? When did we lose sight of the social contract? When did we stop caring?
WE DESERVE BETTER. And it starts with that person each of us sees when we look in the mirror. If we want change, then we need to be the change we want to see. Not all of us will be able to change the world in broad, abstract strokes...but we can start by paying attention to what's happening around us and looking out for those whose lives intersect with our own. I can't tell you what that means for each of us, but I firmly believe that each of us will recognize the opportunities when the present themselves...whether they be "big" or "small", no opportunity is unimportant. We can do this, and it doesn't even have to involve a lot of heavy lifting- just a willing, generous spirit and the ability to look beyond the end of our collective nose.
It's time we take this country back from the thugs and the self-absorbed greedheads and set America back on the path to greatness. Yes, we can. I hope that you will join me in working to make this happen on November 4th...because America deserves better than another term of failed leadership and murderous criminal ineptitude.
