is the title of this lead editorial in today's New York Times. As we give thanks for our blessings today, I thought it worthwhile to call this to your attention.
Here's the opening paragraph:
What is it like to be poor? Thankfully, most Americans do not know, at least not firsthand. And times are tough for the middle class. But everyone needs to recognize a chilling reality: One in three Americans — 100 million people — is either poor or perilously close to it.
People here will probably know much of the data cited, and like the author(s) of the editorial will know how ridiculous the criticisms by Heritage of how the data is calculate are. As the editorial notes
The rankings ignore the fact that many of these are requisites of modern life and that things increasingly out of reach for the poor and near poor — education, health care, child care, housing and utilities — are the true determinants of a good, upwardly mobile life.
As we give thanks, and as we continue to debate national policy and politics, keep this editorial handy to remind ourselves of what is at stake. The last paragraph of the editorial makes that clear:
The poor do without and the near poor, at best, live from paycheck to paycheck. Most Americans don’t know what that is like, but unless the nation reverses direction, more are going to find out.