Economic insecurity is now the American way of life:
Four out of 5 U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives, a sign of deteriorating economic security and an elusive American dream.
Policymakers are going to need to begin wrapping their heads around the fact that, if they've never experienced that kind of fear and insecurity and can't imagine it, they're not in the same place as most of their constituents. And there's one part of this increase in the number of people who will come close to poverty in their lives that might push policymakers to understand:
By race, nonwhites still have a higher risk of being economically insecure, at 90 percent. But compared with the official poverty rate, some of the biggest jumps under the newer measure are among whites, with more than 76 percent enduring periods of joblessness, life on welfare or near-poverty.
Yep, economic inequality is becoming so extreme that even the privileges of whiteness aren't enough to insulate most people. As fewer and fewer people are on top, more and more will be being ground up by the economy. In fact, by 2030, the percentage of people experiencing this kind of economic insecurity is projected to rise from 79 percent to 85 percent.
So, as poverty and economic insecurity affect more white people, does that mean we get to talk about poverty without being hit with so much ugly racist talk? And does it mean policymakers will start to take economic inequality, poverty, and jobs seriously?