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Political Washington's austerity harshness causes greater harm. Shocking bipartisan indifference to human need and suffering is criminal.
In the world's richest ever country, poverty is highest among industrialized nations. Homelessness and hunger levels are unprecedented. Over 20% of US families haven't enough money to buy food and need help.
Over half of US children need food stamps to eat. Tens of millions have no health insurance. Those with it pay double the cost in other developed nations. Policies enacted under Obama assure tougher times ahead.
Unemployment approaches record highs. Manipulated government data hide it. Those employed work longer for less. Home foreclosures and bankruptcies affect millions. Adjusted for inflation, median income's no higher than in the 1970s.
In their book titled, "Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer," Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson explained how unprecedented wealth transfers to America's rich destroyed middle class households. It also deepened poverty and created a permanent underclass.
Last September, Forbes magazine's annual report on America's richest 400 showed net worth soaring to over $1.5 trillion, up 12% from 2010. At the same time, poverty and human need spiral higher.
Studies Show Shocking US Inequality
Last November, The New York Times headlined, "Middle-Class Areas Shrink as Income Gap Grows, New Report Shows," saying:
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