U.S. Economic Crisis Worsens

Absolute poverty has exploded in the United States! Almost 39 million Americans now receive food stamps (data as of December 2009), a program available only to those who can show they live in absolute poverty. And not all people below the extreme poverty level are getting this $134.55 (about €100) per month benefit. But that’s still an increase of some 7 million more recipients compared to December 2008. The number has been steadily rising since the start of the economic crisis. Even as the U.S. stock market booms, the economic crisis in America deepens.

The term, absolute poverty, applies to those who are considered poor by international standards and not just those considered poor when compared to the whole population of their country. If one considers the poor in the U.S. and includes prison inmates, the estimate is that there are some 50 million Americans below the poverty line. That’s equivalent to the entire population of Spain who are considered poor in the world’s richest nation.

And many poor Americans do not even qualify for food stamps; those without children, for example, are only entitled to food stamps for 90 days. Those millions of unemployed who have given up looking for jobs because they have never been offered one also do not qualify for food stamps.

If one compares the current 39 million unemployed to the 2.8 million in that category in 1969, it’s clear the U.S. is a far different country than it was back then. But the richest nation on earth apparently has no problem with those statistics. Neither Obama nor any other politician is saying what needs to be said, namely, that this only brings shame on America.

The extremely rapid and apparently unstoppable rise of these numbers is witness to the fact that 700,000 more Americans become unemployed every month. It also makes clear the fact that there are two Americas: one happy and prosperous, interested only in stock market figures, and another tied to daily reality who find themselves suffering the worst financial crisis in memory.

The media mainly reports only on the things that happen to those who live in America number one. Search your memory for which newspaper, television network or magazine recently gave you any insights into the lives of people who live in America number two.

It’s also interesting to note that while the stock market remains essentially unregulated, despite the fact that most people believe regulation is an absolute necessity, the use of food stamps in the U.S. is rigidly regulated. They may not be used in fast food or other restaurants; they may not be used to buy medications or cosmetic products, and they are not valid for purchasing alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, pet food or vitamins.

And our politicians here in Germany, above all our dear Mr. Westerwelle (Germany’s Foreign Minister), keep holding the U.S. up to us as a role model. They apparently intend to continue doing what they’re doing until Germans can also say, “I’m ashamed to be a citizen of this country.”