New Data Says 49.7 Million Are Now Poor, With 80% of the Total Population Near Poverty

There are nearly 50 million Americans who now live below the poverty line. That translates to 49.7 million total. Furthermore, and just as shocking, nearly 80% of the entire U.S. population is now living near poverty or below it.
This startling new statistic is means that 80% of the population is struggling with joblessness, or with near-poverty. Many of them are relying on government assistance to help pay the bills or feed their families. Without that assistance, this near-poverty statistic means that they too would be poor.

The Associated Press noted, in September, that a growing gap between rich and poor was indicated by the data.
In spite of claims that things are getting better, the loss of good-paying jobs in the manufacturing sector which used to provide a living wage for what used to be the “Working Class” is the likely cause of the increasing trend towards poverty in America.
According to a revised census released last Wednesday, the census total is 3 million higher than what was previously thought. This adjustment caused a reevaluation of the poverty data.
Out-of-pocket medical costs as well work-related expenses have now been factored in. The adjusted data is “considered more reliable by social scientists because it factors in living expenses as well as the effects of government aid, such as food stamps and tax credits,” Hope Yen said, reporting for the Associated Press.
The reassessed data also tells that 5 million people were helped by food stamps to barely keep their heads above the poverty line.
READ MORE:http://countercurrentnews.com/2013/11/in-the-u-s-49-7-million-are-now-poor-and-80-of-the-total-population-is-near-poverty/