Class Warfare

As Warren Buffet said, "If there's class warfare going on in this country, my class is winning."
Check this, from Mike Tolson of the Houston Chronicle:

Poverty, in the official sense, ends at $20,615 for a family of four. But an Austin think tank says that threshold is seriously outdated and an income even double that doesn't keep you from being poor.

For a family of four in Texas to have minimal security, it needs a household income of $43,029, says a study released this week by the Center on Public Policy Priorities. If that family lacks health insurance, the total needs to top $53,000.

"We've got a lot of hardworking people who don't make enough money to make ends meet," said senior researcher Frances Deviney.

Many government assistance programs drop off as family income climbs above poverty thresholds, which means that people who make significantly more than minimum wage scramble to provide basic needs, Deviney said. Single parents are especially prone to falling into this category.

This group, known to demographers and social scientists as the working poor, numbers about 1.1 million in the Houston Metropolitan Statistical Area, she said.

What to do? With the value of wages declining in real buying power and fewer employers offering benefits, the government should step in, Deviney said. Revising poverty standards and increasing access to the Children's Health Insurance Program and food stamps would be a good start, she said, along with enhanced job training and support for community colleges.