Chalk one up for the free market economy!
Five years into a national economic recovery, the share of Americans living in poverty finally dropped.
The nation's poverty rate was 12.3 percent in 2006, down from 12.6 percent a year before, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. Median household income increased slightly, to $48,200.
Not bad for a post 9/11 Nation that is still fighting two wars, recovering from Katrina and still taking in record numbers of immigrants. But good economic news is bad news for some.
"Too many Americans find themselves still stuck in the deep hole dug by economic policies favoring the wealthy," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel, D-N.Y., said in a statement. "Income remains lower than it was six years ago, poverty is higher, and the number of Americans without health insurance continues to grow."
I suppose one person in poverty is too many, but that is hardly the point. Numbers that good in times like this are cause for celebration.The Dems know this so they shift to the tired socialized medicine routine.
Among the findings:
--Maryland led the country with a median household income of $65,144. It was followed by New Jersey, Connecticut, Hawaii and Massachusetts.
--Mississippi had the lowest median income, at $34,473. It was followed by West Virginia, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Alabama.
--Mississippi had the highest poverty rate, at 21.1 percent. It was followed by Louisiana, New Mexico, Arkansas and West Virginia.
--Maryland had the lowest poverty rate, at 7.8 percent. It was followed by New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey and Hawaii.
Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov
