Poverty By The Numbers

And What it would take to end it in America

The Land of the… //

Hey there, welcome to my blog where I share my thoughts on everything that's wrong with the world. Today I'm going to talk about a topic that's very close to my heart: poverty, hunger, homelessness, healthcare and education—in America.

You know, the land of the free and the home of the brave. Yeah, right, this is the land of the incarcerated and home of the slave.

The land of opportunity and prosperity. In reality its the land of opportunity for a few and prosperity through exploitation.

The land where anyone can achieve their dreams if they “pull themselves up by the bootstraps” and just work hard enough. This is the land where the majority of the population has to run harder than the head starters just to make ends meet.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Death, Dependence and the Pursuit of Adderall is what you will find here.

This mythical ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ is reserved for a select few who don’t have to worry about the pursuit of food, shelter, healthcare, safety or work and can actually pursue their version of ‘Happiness’.

Facts //

Let me tell you some facts that will hopefully help you realize just how big, yet affordable and solvable, our problems in America are. Did you know that:

• More than 38 million people in America live in poverty, according to the official measure. That's about 11.8% of the population. But if you use a more realistic measure that accounts for expenses like housing, food, transportation and health care, the poverty rate jumps to 17.8%. That's more than one in six Americans.¹²³⁴

• More than 35 million people in America face hunger, according to Feeding America. That's about 10.5% of the population. Of those, more than 10 million are children. That means one in seven children in America may not know where their next meal is coming from.⁵⁶⁷⁸

• More than half a million people in America experience homelessness on any given night, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That's about 0.2% of the population. Of those, more than 40% are people of color, more than 20% are children and more than 10% are veterans.⁹¹⁰¹¹

• More than 27 million people in America are uninsured, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That's about 8.5% of the population. Of those, more than 10 million are immigrants, more than 6 million are young adults and more than 4 million are children.¹²

• More than 50 million public school students in America are affected by underfunded schools, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. That's about 15% of the population. Of those, more than 30 million are low-income students who rely on free or reduced-price meals at school.¹³

Now, you may be wondering: how much would it cost to fix these issues? How much would it cost to end poverty, hunger, homelessness, lack of healthcare and education in America? Well, let me tell you:

• It would cost about $175 billion per year to end poverty in America, according to a study by Columbia University. That's about 0.8% of the GDP or $525 per person per year.

• It would cost about $25 billion per year to end hunger in America, according to a study by the University of Illinois. That's about 0.1% of the GDP or $75 per person per year.

• It would cost about $20 billion per year to end homelessness in America, according to a study by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. That's about 0.1% of the GDP or $60 per person per year.

• It would cost about $300 billion per year to provide universal health care in America, according to a study by the Urban Institute. That's about 1.4% of the GDP or $900 per person per year.

• It would cost about $150 billion per year to fully fund public education in America, according to a study by the Education Law Center. That's about 0.7% of the GDP or $450 per person per year.

So, if we add up all these costs, we get a total of $670 billion per year. That's about 3.1% of the GDP or $2,010 per person per year.

Now, you may be thinking: that sounds like a lot of money. How can we afford that? Where will we get that money from? Well, let me tell you:

- We could get that money from cutting military spending by half. The U.S. military budget for fiscal year 2022 is $753 billion. That's more than the next 10 countries combined. That's about 3.5% of the GDP or $2,260 per person per year.

- We could get that money from taxing the wealth of the richest Americans by a modest amount. The net worth of the top 1% of Americans is $34 trillion. That's more than the bottom 90% combined. If we taxed their wealth by just 2%, we could raise $680 billion per year.

In conclusion, I believe that ending poverty in America is not only possible, but necessary. As a rural American socialist, I have seen the effects of capitalism on my community and my country. I have seen how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, how the corporations exploit the workers and the environment, how the politicians serve the interests of the elite and ignore the needs of the people.

I have also seen how socialism can offer a better alternative. A system that values human dignity and equality, that provides everyone with basic rights and opportunities, that redistributes wealth and power from the few to the many. A system that invests in education, health care, infrastructure, and renewable energy, instead of wasting trillions of dollars on endless wars and military spending.

I know that some of you may be skeptical or fearful of socialism. You may have been told that it is un-American, or that it leads to tyranny and oppression. But I urge you to look beyond the propaganda and the lies. Look at the examples of successful socialist countries around the world, like Cuba, Vietnam, or Bolivia. Look at the history of socialist movements in America, like the Populists, the Progressives, or the New Deal. Look at the vision and the courage of socialist leaders like Eugene V Debs, who said:

"While there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element, I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free."

I hope that you will join me in fighting for a socialist future for America. A future where no one has to live in poverty or fear. A future where we can all enjoy the fruits of our labor and the blessings of our land. A future where we can all say: "This is our country, and we are its masters."

Creative Commons, Attributed to MaxPixels.net, Link in Sources.

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‌Sources //

1. Nguyen, J. (2022). How many people are really facing poverty in the U.S.? Marketplace. [online] 16 Sep. Available at: https://www.marketplace.org/2022/09/15/how-many-people-are-really-facing-poverty-in-the-u-s/ [Accessed 7 Apr. 2023].

2. Creamer, J., Shrider, E., Burns, K. and Chen, F. (2022). Poverty in the United States: 2021. [online] Census.gov. Available at: https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2022/demo/p60-277.html [Accessed 5 Apr. 2023].

3. Weill, J. (2018). Millions of Americans Continue to Struggle Against Poverty - Food Research & Action Center. [online] Food Research & Action Center. Available at: https://frac.org/news/millions-of-americans-continue-to-struggle-against-poverty [Accessed 7 Apr. 2023].

4. Center for Poverty & Inequality Research (2012). What is the current poverty rate in the United States? [online] UC Davis Center for Poverty Research. Available at: https://poverty.ucdavis.edu/faq/what-current-poverty-rate-united-states [Accessed 7 Apr. 2023].

5. Feeding America (2018). Hunger in America. [online] Feeding America. Available at: https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america [Accessed 7 Apr. 2023].

6. Housman, P. (2020). The Growing Hunger Crisis in America. [online] American University. Available at: https://www.american.edu/cas/news/the-growing-hunger-crisis-in-america.cfm [Accessed 7 Apr. 2023].

7. Silva, C. (2020). Food Insecurity In The U.S. By The Numbers. [online] NPR.org. Available at: https://www.npr.org/2020/09/27/912486921/food-insecurity-in-the-u-s-by-the-numbers [Accessed 7 Apr. 2023].

8. Villarreal, M. (2020). More than 50 million Americans facing hunger in 2020, projections show. [online] www.cbsnews.com. Available at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hunger-50-million-americans-2020-projections-show/ [Accessed 7 Apr. 2023].

9. Glenn, T. (2019). Solving Unsheltered Homelessness. [online] National League of Cities. Available at: https://www.nlc.org/article/2019/11/12/solving-unsheltered-homelessness/ [Accessed 7 Apr. 2023].

10. Build Healthy Places Network and NeighborWorks America (2020). Preventing and Ending Homelessness: Community Development’s Role. [online] Neighborworks.org. Available at: https://www.neighborworks.org/research/preventing-ending-homelessness [Accessed 8 Apr. 2023].

11. Western Governors University, Indiana (2020). Healthcare and Medical Resources for the Homeless. [online] Western Governors University. Available at: https://www.wgu.edu/blog/healthcare-medical-resources-homeless2003.html [Accessed 7 Apr. 2023].

12. Keisler-Starkey, K. and Bunch, L.N. (2022). Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2021, P60-278. [online] United States Census Bureau. Available at: https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2022/demo/p60-278.html [Accessed 8 Apr. 2023].

13. Vaquer, V. (2022). Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2021. [online] United States Census Bureau. Available at: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/income-poverty-health-insurance-coverage.html [Accessed 8 Apr. 2023].

14. www.maxpixels.net Creative Commons Picture