“There are 50 million Americans (15.7 million of whom are children) in real poverty and tens of millions* of Americans in a category called “near poverty.”** One in eight Americans – and one in four children – depend on food stamps to eat. And yet, in the midst of it all, we continue to be a country consumed by happy talk and happy thoughts. We continue to embrace the illusion of inevitable progress, personal success and rising prosperity. Reality is not considered an impediment to desire.” - Chris Hedges in the article, American Psychosis

*The above article is from last year. Here are the total numbers for living in poverty and near poverty taken from a NY Times article on November 18th, 2012: “…100 million people — one in three Americans — are either in poverty or in the fretful zone (near poverty AKA near poor) just above it.”

**This is an example of “Near Poor (Poverty):” “A family of four can fall into this range, adjusted for regional living costs, with an income of up to $25,500 in rural North Dakota or $51,000 in Silicon Valley.” - NY Times Nov. 18th, 2012