In recent news, the US poverty rate has risen to 15.1%, the highest since the Census Bureau started collecting data in 1959.
The US definition of “poverty” is “an annual income of $22,314 (£14,129) or less for a family of four and $11,139 for a single person” (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14903732). Now, to put that into perspective, there are also the World Bank’s ‘$1 a day’ line for extreme poverty and ‘$2 a day’ line for poverty. It has been improving in recent years, but still leaves almost half of the world’s population in poverty.
So as Congress debates President Barack Obama’s new $450bn job creation plan, I encourage you to try to keep it in perspective. Remember to help those less fortunate than yourself (even as a “poor college student”) and do not take for granted the resources and opportunities that life has given you.
