For 7 years Bush has been telling us how good the economy is. We all know it’s only good for the wealthy and the very wealthy. (See Mother Jones.) Now, a recent census by the U.S. Census Bureau proves what we already know. The middle class is hurting. While, the median household income rose 0.7% last year (it’s the second annual increase in a row) to $48,201 and the share of households living in poverty fell to 12.3% from 12.6% in 2005, these are very meager gains. The Census stated that the gains are “mainly a reflection of an increase in the number of family members entering the workplace or working longer hours. Average wages for men and women actually declined for the 3rd consecutive year. (New York Times) (Note: according to a joint analysis by the Institute for Policy Studies and United for a Fair Economy, “the average CEO of a large U.S. company made roughly $10.8 million last year, or 364 times that of U.S. full-time and part-time workers, who made an average of $29,544.”) (CNN Money) But a look at health care costs tell more of the story.
In 2006 an additional 2.2 million people had no health insurance. The new census figures show that the number of people without health insurance increased to 47 million – 15.8% of the population. Uninsured children rose to 11.7%, up from 10.9%. And the number of people who get health insurance through their jobs, which began falling in 2001, has dropped to 59.7%, down from 60.2%. Health insurance premiums rose 7.7% last year, hitting an average of $11,480 for a typical family plan offered by employers. (I wonder what the average is for people purchasing private health insurance. Mine went up 35% every year for the last 5 years.) And, while low-income households have the highest uninsured rate, the rate rose fastest among those living in households with annual incomes above $75,000, hitting 8.5%, up from 7.7% in 2005. (USA Today)
While these percentages may seem low, remember that the poor have health insurance through state Medicaid programs and, of course, the rich can easily afford to get health insurance or just not bother since they can pay for their own medical costs. These numbers are just about the middle income people.
Now we have the crash in the housing market, so people are losing gains they made in the value of their homes. And who will the U.S. government bail out of that mess? The corporations (read wealthy CEOs), of course. Just like they did back in the 1980s with the savings and loan crisis. When are the people going to start voting for a government that does THEIR bidding, and not that of the wealthiest people? It’s a good question.