We Americans certainly are fortunate to be among the most prosperous people in the world.
So isn't it disturbing that nearly one in six of our fellow Americans is now reported to be living in poverty during this time of economic trouble and high unemployment?
What's the definition of U.S. poverty? It's for a family of four to have annual income of less than $22,314.
About 46 million Americans have income below that level, according to the Census Bureau. While the poor in this country are not starving as the poor in many impoverished countries might be, they are still in painful circumstances.
Tennessee is reported to have the 12th highest poverty rate among the 50 states, with 16.7 percent of our people in poverty. Georgia has a poverty rate of 18.7 percent, the third highest percentage. Alabama ranks 10th, with 17.3 percent of its people in poverty.
We don't want anybody to suffer deprivation. We want everyone who wants a job to be able to find a good job to provide at least the basics for himself and his family.
Although the United States is a wealthy country, it is unfortunate that many of our people face serious economic problems. There should be private charitable efforts to help them and legislative efforts in Washington to remove or reduce excessive regulations and taxes that undercut job growth and opportunity.