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When did things get so bad in the US? I am the person that conservatives believe has been slagging on the US for years. Yet, I’m totally blown away by the empirical evidence that places that I know well (Cleveland, Youngstown, Albany) have gotten dramatically more poor in the last fifteen years. If you live in or near a metro area in the US, take a look at this database and tell me that the country is going in the right direction.How in the world did Cleveland go from being a vibrant and terrific town in the early 1990s to being the 4th poorest city in the US last year? I realize that it’s the sub-prime capital and that the homeless rate is skyrocketing now because of it, but this is not a blip but a decade-long trend. People are moving out in droves because they can’t get jobs. 41% of the children in Cleveland are living below the poverty line.In my own town, 42% of the kids are poor, averaging between 14-19 meals per week due to their parents income. We are the 4th in the nation in elder poverty. Gas prices here are nearly $3.50 a gallon.Why are we debating about how to “turn around” a recession? We are in a depression, folks! When the middle class stops buying things, it’s not because there’s nothing new to buy, but because they look out their windows and see something sobering on the horizon that all the flat-screen TVS and GPS navigators won’t protect them from facing.Who — who?! — can defend our country’s domestic economic policies now?
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My Beautiful Wickedness 