Edolphus Towns: “As the ranks of the unemployed continue to swell, all eyes have been focused on the plight of the middle-income working…”

“As the ranks of the unemployed continue to swell, all eyes have been focused on the plight of the middle-income working Americans. Many of their fortunes have changed dramatically for the worse. Many have lost their homes to foreclosure, many have seen their retirement accounts all but disappear, and, sadly, many of those who have been out of work for months have fallen below the poverty level. From 2006 to 2009, more than 7 million Americans joined the ranks of the poor. Next week, on September 13, the Census Bureau will publish its annual report on poverty and income. We expect dire news again. These are not just poor people; they are poor Americans. The vast majority of poor people in this country are not poor because they are lazy and don't want to work or to do better. Many people are poor because they grew up in poverty and could not find the means to escape. They were trapped by failing schools, broken families, poor nutrition, and hopeless conditions. In recent years, we have witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of children living in poverty. It looked like we were making progress at the turn of the century when the child poverty rate dipped to 16 percent. By 2009, the rate has risen to 21 percent, with 15.5 million children living in poverty. This disturbs me greatly. Children who grew up in poverty are more likely to be poor during adulthood. Children who were born in middle class families have a 76 percent chance of being middle class.…”