Adjusting for inflation, the average American has seen their wages increase by less than 1% in the past ten years. Although there have been gains in employee benefits, including health care, the truth of the matter still points to widening divide between corporate executive compensation and the wages of non-unionized labor – 298% vs 4.3%.

Per the Bureau of Labor statistics, the median household income is little more than $46,000 per year. Of the 117 million households in the United States, 65% make less than the median income level, or 76 million households. Since the average household is comprised of 2.57 people, 195 million Americans fit into this economic class.

The Department of Health and Human Services describes the poverty level for an individual is $10,830/year and $3,740 for each additional person. The poverty rate in the U.S. is 13.2%, or 39.8 million people, which is consistent with the estimated number of Americans said to be without health insurance. Therefore, a family of four with a total household income of $22,050 is considered to be living in poverty, which may include one or more wage earners.

Crunching a few more numbers, only 35% of the U.S. population earns more than $65,000/year, 10% make in excess of $118,200/year and only 2.67% make over $200,000/year. At the pinnacle of economic fortune, a scant 0.1% of wage earners, or approximately 300,000 Americans, make over $1.6 million.

According to an April 2009 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, 72% of those surveyed agreed “the poor have become too dependent on government assistance programs” which is up from 69% in 2007.

In a 2006 Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey (SCCBS), 74% of respondents wanted to see spending on the poor increased. But just 43% wanted to see spending on blacks increased.

This attitude was further highlighted in June 2009 when Rush Limbaugh said that food stamps amount to “food care” for the obese to buy “Twinkies, Milk Duds, potato chips, six packs of Bud” as they “head home to watch the NFL on one of two color TVs … and that’s the poverty in the U.S.”

More blatant comments were made in January during a town hall meeting when South Carolina Lt. Governor Andre Bauer was quoted as saying, "My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed. You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that. And so what you've got to do is you've got to curtail that type of behavior. They don't know any better."

Public outcry to this and other statements led Bauer to respond, "We have a problem of dependency which is getting worse instead of better. People collecting welfare with no intention of ever getting off the government gravy train. We don't mind a hand up, but we can't continue to have generational handouts. Especially when the state's considering furloughing teachers, and releasing prisoners early. Taxpayers have had enough. Somebody has to have the courage to speak out, to break the cycle of dependency. Speaking out about these programs may not be politically correct, but it's the right thing to do."

In a February blog, Bauer posted, “DSS (Dept of Social Services) says the maximum annual cash assistance for a mother of two is just over $3,250. But food stamps, WIC and housing assistance alone contribute an additional $10,000 in benefits – not too far off what might be earned in a minimum wage job. I am hearing from people who see no problem with drug testing as a condition for their jobs. They see no problem with having people on public assistance doing the same. Like the private sector, the first offense should mean mandatory counseling and the second one termination.”

In other words, no more free lunch for the lazy poor, although he noted his statements in no way were meant to be directed at the students. Very unconvincing.
This view by government officials is not unprecedented. Look at the lack of concern for the victims of hurricane Katrina. In my opinion, the lack of response to the crisis by President Bush and the statements made by Andre Bauer are racist.

New Orleans had 325,947 black residents prior to Katrina – 67.25% of the population. The white population was approximately 28%. Per the Brookings Institute, Post-Katrina figures in 2008 showed a 57% decline in blacks and 36% in the white population – 58% black, 34% white. Thus, the poverty level fell from 28% in 2000 to 23% in 2008. The correlation suggests a fewer blacks, more whites, and a lower poverty rate.

In a 2006 Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey (SCCBS), 74% of respondents wanted to see spending on the poor increased. But just 43% wanted to see spending on blacks increased.