Hunger and Poverty- A National Disgrace
[I spent from 9:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. researching statistics on child hunger, child poverty, and health- uninsured children. In six hours of searching I became frustrated, annoyed, and then puzzled because of all the innumerable sites I researched on each subject, I could find no stats more recent than 1996! Oddly enough I found no stats on children who had no health insurance. They may be out there but I did not find them. I know there are more recent stats on each subject because I have read them in my newsies. Unfortunately I did not keep those news articles. If anyone finds more recent stats, please either post them on comments or email me. Thank you. WA] [Later: I FINALLY found a few updated sites.WA]
The suffering of children from hunger, poverty and deprivation of health care is the primary focus here but it also applies to adults.
Bread for the World
Seeking Justice
Ending Hunger
Stats on US Children Hungry;
35. million people hungry
12.4 million children hungry
More than 1 in 10 households in US hungry = 11%
http://www.bread.org/learn/hunger-basics/hunger-facts-domestic.html (update Jan 2007 - click on url for complete article)
Child Hunger in a Land of Abundance Makes us All Poor
'>http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0924-21.htm">
Homeless and Hungry
http://www.usmayors.org/uscm/hungersurvey/2006/report06.pdf
Child Poverty in Rich Countries (including the US)
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/jun2005/pove-j01.shtml For complete article, click on url.
Excerpt:
The child poverty rate in the US has steadily risen every year from 2000, according to several recent reports and press releases from public policy institutes and government agencies.
Child Poverty in Rich Countries, 2005, a report by the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, provides a comparative assessment of the conditions facing poor children in industrialized nations, primarily in Europe but also including the US.
The study begins with this assertion: “Protecting children from the sharpest edges of poverty during their years of growth and formation is both the mark of a civilized society and a means of addressing some of the evident problems that affect the quality of life in the economically developed nations.” By this standard, the US has the dishonor of being one of the most UNCIVILIZED of the major industrialized countries. [ emphasis mine. WA]
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Many thousands of American children who live in poverty have no health insurance. Today, even more who live above the poverty level, even middle class, either have no health insurance or are underinsured. If Bush's cuts to Medicaid and other health programs are approved, there will be yet more without health coverage. This is a national disgrace. Even small European countries have better rating for child health care than America does.
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Hearts and Minds: Children in Poverty
http://www.heartsandminds.org/articles/childpov.htm for complete article, click on url.
Excerpt:
Poverty's Effect on Children
According to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau in September 1996, 13.8% of Americans live in poverty. Many more are on the borderline. [ Old stats, but they have increased since 2006. WA]
Poverty affects all ages, but an astonishing 48% percent of its victims are children: About 15 million children -- one out of every four -- live below the official poverty line.
22% of Americans under the age of 18 -- and 25% under age 12 -- are hungry or at the risk of being hungry.
Everyday 2,660 children are born into poverty; 27 die every day because of it.
Children and families are the fastest growing group in the homeless population, representing 40% of the homeless.
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Stats on percentage of homeless are veterans, and it is a rapidly growing problem, and hunger stalks the homeless: Homeless Veterans; http://www1.va.gov/homeless/page.cfm?pg=1
Excerpt: Homeless Veterans
Overview of Homelessness
About one-third of the adult homeless population have served their country in the Armed Services. On any given day, as many as 200,000 veterans (male and female) are living on the streets or in shelters, and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year. Many other veterans are considered near homeless or at risk because of their poverty, lack of support from family and friends, and dismal living conditions in cheap hotels or in overcrowded or substandard housing.
Almost all homeless veterans are male (about three percent are women), the vast majority are single, and most come from poor, disadvantaged backgrounds. Homeless veterans tend to be older and more educated than homeless non-veterans. But similar to the general population of homeless adult males, about 45% of homeless veterans suffer from mental illness and (with considerable overlap) slightly more than 70% suffer from alcohol or other drug abuse problems. Roughly 56% are African American or Hispanic.
VHA Programs Home Page [This is from a government site. Although they concur that 45% of homeless veterans suffer from mental illness, they blandly deny it is from PTSD. FIE!! Mental disorders, like PTSD, often contribute to alcoholism and drug usage as they attempt to self-medicate and stem their emotional and mental pain. WA . FIE again!]
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Causes of poverty ( Global. Old stats - 2004 - but the same causes exist today. Article too long for a post but please scan the most pertinent causative factors.WA)
http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Facts.asp
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Reducing Poverty (Global. Please scroll down to paragraph: "Critical Investments for Poverty Reduction"WA)
http://www.unfpa.org/pds/poverty.htm
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Mapping Poverty and Other MDG Indicators
Click here for animation >> Then click on tabs for more information.
The "civilized" industrial nations are not represented here. Why is there no data available? Is this supposed to indicate that there is no poverty stricken, hungry, or health care deprived people in these countries? Statistics prove otherwise.The US, Canada, the British Isles, Scandinavian countries, and Australia surely have stats!
Labels: health coverage- children, hunger, poverty
posted by Anonymous @ 2/28/2007 12:37:00 AM
3 Comments:
At Wednesday, February 28, 2007 5:11:00 PM ,
Daniel said...
There's a big problem in trying to convince people brought up on greed and me-first that sharing is important, Worried.
Love your post! Hope that it has some impact. Cheers
At Thursday, March 01, 2007 2:21:00 AM ,
The Future Was Yesterday said...
First, thank you for your hard work, and exhaustive, in depth investigation. That's dedication, and I admire it greatly!
The mistreatment of children, the children living in poverty, the children denied medical care....the list could go on and on. As I was reading your post, I thought back to mine, about how we ignore the elderly. We're doing the same thing to our children if they aren't properly fed, housed, and clothed. I don't know all the underlying causes, but I do know one thing. Daniel was on the mark when he said we have a problem sharing, vs the "me first and the hell with you" mentality.
It seems that America is saying "if you're not born into privilege, get lost!" That's depressing, but I'll bet those suffering kids aren't too happy, either!!
A comment was left on this post by Betmo that raised an interesting issue. I struggled several times, trying to formulate a post to answer that question, and couldn't find the right words. If you wish, maybe you can answer this comment in a post, for all of us, in "my" generation. Her comment will be left below.
Once again, thank you for your hard work!!
(Comment:) the only criticism that has come to mind is- they raised your generation and now the world has gone to hell in a handbasket. they spoiled you and now the world. how is it that they could raise folks who could throw them away? it is a very sad state of affairs- i only hope that the younger generations will come back around and realize what social responsibility is- and that their grandparents and great grandparents had it- but didn't teach it well enough.
At Thursday, March 01, 2007 10:10:00 AM ,
Unknown said...
Daniel: Thank you.
TFWY: Most parents want their children to have a better life than they had. Those of us who were young or grew up during the deprivations of the Depression era, the post-Depression era and the War Years (WWII) came of age during the gradual uptick of the economy. The memory of the hard times of our childhood impelled us to ascertain that our children did not suffer the same way. Yes, my generation spoiled our children, perhaps reliving our childhood vicariously through the abundance we showered upon our children. So-called specialists (often self styled) piled guilt upon the parents, especially the mothers, by asserting that everything the child did wrong was the mother's fault, causing confused, guilt ridden mothers to be too lienient. One school of thought was to never tell your child "no" as it would damage their little psyches! Mothers increasingly entered the work force in droves which placed children in day care. The teaching, guidance and formation of social skills and standards of behavior was largely placed upon the daycare workers and/or the schools, which was in many cases non-existent. (This is NOT to be contrued as an indictment of working mothers! My generation of mommies learned the hard way about juggling motherhood and careers).
Perhaps a contributing factor was the breakdown of family and community ties. Employees became increasingly mobile, transferring to distant locales as a career move, thus separating children from the extended family and community. "It takes a village" contains many truisms. The wide circle of the extended family, church and social circles, friends and neighbors of my generation served to shape and mold our developemnt through social and peer pressure. Succeeding generations often were robbed of this closely knit circle.
Assessing human behavior and societal changes is quite complex and cannot be addressed in a comment box, so this is by necessity a very simplified post but perhaps explains a few reasons for the me-first attitude of our children's generation, which ofcourse, they perpetuated in their children.
I am old, a great grandparent, and have seen our nation and society go from Model T autos to space probes to the outer planets. The changes that have taken place in the media and the entertainment field is sometimes appalling to me. The me-ism, acceptance and even praise and admiration for the sly ones who lie, cheat, and stomp on everyone else in their efforts to succeed, the violence and use of it to address all conflicts, the praise and admiration for the most violent characters, and other negative role models and moral standards have been influential in shaping the mindsets of this generation. "Nice guys finish last". "I've got mine, Jack". Simple courtesy and dilpomacy is viewed as weakness and is largely missing from our society; some employers now send employees to manners schools to teach them how to be polite to clients! Lack of courtesy equates to lack of consideration for others.
And what are we speaking of here? A lack of care and consideration for others, compassion for our fellow man?
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