Poverty in the US

When I think of poverty, I think of the commercials for world hunger (such as this one) where there are starving children stumbling through the dusty savannah, looking like skeletons because they are so skinny. Throughout these commercials, statistics flash across the screen, stating fact such as "one-third of the world is well-fed, another third is hungry, and the remainder is starving" and "Every year 15 million children die of hunger". However, our discussion in class today of "Susie American" and her "Mortgage Scenario" made me realize that with our current economic crisis, a significant number of Americans in the same situation as "Susie" will be falling below the U.S. poverty line. I was surprised to find that currently one in six children in the U.S. lives below the poverty line. The Stimulus Bill just signed by President Obama has given hope to many American citizens facing financial challenges and the possibility of falling below the poverty line. In a transcript of his remarks after signing the Stimulus Bill in Denver, Colorado, President Obama stated: "it's a plan that rewards responsibility, lifting 2 million Americans from poverty by ensuring that anyone who works hard does not have to raise a child below the poverty line. As a whole, this plan will help poor and working Americans pull themselves into the middle class in a way we haven't seen in nearly 50 years." This bill will hopefully help all those who need financial support.