America's Poverty Rate Spikes

Census figures from 2009 are due next week, and the numbers on poverty in America are expected to show a record jump. The poverty rate will likely jump to about 15 percent, meaning that about 1 in 7 Americans are poor—a startling 45 million. Those estimates would represent the biggest jump since the figures began to be kept in 1959. Asked about his efforts to bring citizens out of poverty at last week’s press conference, President Obama stated that the “most crucial anti-poverty effort is growing the economy and making sure there are enough jobs out there.” Some experts say that a rapidly growing poverty rate will lend credence to a liberal view of social spending and welfare programs. Those hit hardest by the new wave of poverty are expected to be African Americans and Latinos; cities such as Modesto, California, and Las Vegas have shown the greatest gains in poverty.