Poverty in America? One of the richest countries in the world?

Yes, poverty is a reality in America, just as it is for millions of other human beings on the planet. The deepest recession in modern times has sharply increased the ranks of the poor during the past year, with 1 in 7 people in America officially counted as living in poverty. According to the US Census Bureau,35.9 million people live below the poverty line in America, including 12.9 million children.

US poverty rate hit 14.3 percent last year, up from 13.2 percent in 2008. The jump bring the number of the poor to its highest level since 1959

This is despite abundance of food resources. Almost 100 billion pounds of food is wasted in America each year. 700 million hungry human beings in different parts of the world would have gladly accepted this food.

As per experts opinion, the poverty rate is likely to rise further. The rate will approach 16 percent and stay high for most of this decade. The recession will add some 10 million people, including 6 million children, to the poverty rolls.