Recession Raises Poverty Rate to a 15-Year High

From the New York Times

By ERIK ECKHOLM

Published: September 16, 2010

The percentage of Americans struggling below the poverty line in 2009 was the highest it has been in 15 years, 1 in 7 Americans live below the poverty line the Census Bureau reported Thursday, and interviews with poverty experts and aid groups said the increase appeared to be continuing this year.

What a sad commentary on one of the riches nations in the world. Yet many Senators want to extend the Bush era tax cuts to the very wealthiest Americans. The same Senators are cutting food stamp aid. I guess we know who they listen to and it’s not the poor.

FRAC Statement: Senate Moves Forward on $11.9 Billion Cut in SNAP Benefits; Legislation Needs to Be Fixed Before Passage

Today, the Senate voted for cloture on a bill which reduces SNAP (food stamps) benefits to generate $11.9 billion to pay for items added to the Federal Aviation Administration Bill, including aid to states and funding for teachers' salaries and FMAP (Medicaid). While FRAC supports these important legislative priorities, it is unacceptable to pay for any priority by cutting benefits for the hungriest people in the country. FRAC.org 13 Million US Children are Hungry. Learn how you can help.

www.AmpleHarvest.org Donate Food to the Needy Help End Hunger in America.

http://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/cgi-bin/id/cityfoodbanks.cgi?city=Nanuet&state=NY

Nanuet Food Pantries | Nanuet Soup Kitchens

DON’T JUST READ THIS DO SOMETHING

9/11

8:46:40: Flight 11 crashes at roughly 490 mph into the north face of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

9:03:04: Flight 175 crashes at about 590 mph into the south face of the South Tower of the World Trade Center

9:37:46: Flight 77 crashes into the western side of the Pentagon and starts a violent fire.

10:03:11: United Airlines Flight 93 is crashed by its hijackers and passengers, due to fighting in the cockpit 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh in Somerset County, Pennsylvania..

There were a total of 2,996 deaths, including the 19 hijackers and 2,977 victims. The victims were distributed as follows: 246 on the four planes (from which there were no survivors), 2,606 in New York City in the towers and on the ground, and 125 at the Pentagon. All the deaths in the attacks were civilians except for 55 military personnel killed at the Pentagon.

More than 90 countries lost citizens

A total of 411 emergency workers who responded to the scene died as they attempted to rescue people and fight fires. The New York City Fire Department lost 341 firefighters and 2 paramedics. The New York City Police Department lost 23 officers. The Port Authority Police Department lost 37 officers, and 8 additional EMTs and paramedics from private EMS units were killed.

It is right that the rebuilding of the twin towers should include memorial space.

Let’s not forget the brave souls who tried to wrest the controls back from the hijackers on United Airlines Flight 93. There have been locations and designs for such a memorial, but a controversy rages on.

The Pentagon has built a memorial to the 184 persons killed in the attack by Flight 77. There are 184 chairs, each with a victim’s name inscribed. The Memorial was dedicated and opened to the public on September 11, 2008.

Is Obama a Muslim?

There are some ill-informed persons who still believe that President Obama is a Muslim, all evidence to the contrary. But that’s beside the point! I thought we got over that when a Catholic (John Kennedy) was elected President and when a Jew (Joe Lieberman) ran as vice presidential candidate with Al Gore in 2000.

The religion of a candidate in this SECULAR United States should make no difference, only his views on the issues that matter to the electorate.