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US Census statistics released this Tuesday revealed that the “American Dream” remains far out of the reach of tens of millions of Americans. Findings in the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage report for 2010 show 15.1 percent of Americans are living below the poverty line.
That represents nearly 46.2 million people, including 2.6 million who were added last year, many of them pushed into poverty due to unemployment. A family of four living on less than $22, 314 a year is considered to be impoverished by the Federal government. Last year economic growth hovered around 2 – 4%. This year, growth has plummeted to nearly zero percent. Women and children continue to suffer disproportionately in this poor economy. The poverty rate of families headed by single mothers is 68% higher than families headed by single fathers. The Census data showed Californians are, on average, worse off than the rest of the country, with 16.3% of the state’s residents living below the poverty line. In Los Angeles, a newly launched website called Frying Pan News, initiated by the local organization Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), promises to address issues most affecting the area’s residents, including the economy. The introductory article of the Frying Pan News assures readers the website will “[p]rovide… a lively and unpredictable forum” and “avoid… buzzkill jargon.” Reporting serious news with an eye for humor, readers will find headlines including, “Five Signs we are going to Hell in a Prius,” “A Plague of Profits,” and “Conned Air: How Airlines Skyjacked your Tax Savings.” The website’s founders hope to make it a valuable resource for the larger LA community.

GUEST: Madeline Janis, co-founder and executive director of the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, or LAANE.

Visit Frying Pan News at www.fryingpannews.org.