Bill Nelson: “I want to talk about trickle-down economics and give my colleagues an example of why it doesn't work, particularly in…”

“I want to talk about trickle-down economics and give my colleagues an example of why it doesn't work, particularly in parts of the country that have long been neglected by the power structures in those communities. Let's take, for example, South St. Petersburg, FL. St. Petersburg is a part of Pinellas County. It is one of our major cities in Florida. It is at the tip of a peninsula that wraps around Tampa Bay. South St. Pete is riddled with poverty. According to the Census Bureau, 16.4 percent of the people who live there live below the Federal poverty line, 6.7 percent of which have jobs, but they still live in poverty. Now, there is something wrong with that. If you have a job, you shouldn't be living in poverty. What we know, as a result of a survey by the United Way, is that 44 percent of people in Florida, according to this survey taken in 2016-- 44 percent of the people in Florida, almost half--do not earn enough money to make ends meet. That means they don't have enough money for food, for housing, for healthcare, for transportation, and for child care--essentials for someone who is working to be able to have enough to live day to day. So there is something wrong with this. We find people living in pockets of poverty all across this country, but I want to give an example of it in South St. Petersburg, FL. Many people there don't make enough to make ends meet and, of course, that means that you have to have both spouses working.…”