Data from the 2005 census show that the percentage of Americans living in severe poverty has reached a 32 year high, that millions of working Americans are falling closer to the poverty line, while at the same time, the gap between rich and poor continues to grow.

An analysis by the McClatchy newspapers showed that 16 million Americans now live in severe poverty.  The number living in severe  poverty rose by 26% between 2000 an 2005, more than 50% faster than the growth of poverty as a whole.

Washington D.C. and hurricane ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi have the highest percentage of severely poor.  Areas along the Texas-Mexico border and the mid-west rust belt are also severely affected.

A study by the Center for Policy Research at Syracuse University of 31 industrialized nations shows that with the exception of Mexico and Russia, the U.S. devotes the smallest portion of its gross domestic product to federal anti-poverty programs, and those programs are among the least effective at reducing poverty, the study found.

The U.S. ruling class has dropped even the pretense of the “trickle down” theory and now blatantly skews tax and  spending policies to favor the rich.  Our distribution of wealth is becoming more and more like third world countries where only an elite few enjoy prosperity while the vast majority live in poverty.

Democrats have virtually abandoned the poor and Republicans make no pretense at all of helping them.  The result is a political vacuum that the Green Party needs to fill.