postpostochlophobist

By the end of this year somewhere around 53-54 million Americans will be living in poverty.  Of those, somewhere around 22 million will be living in extreme poverty - less than $11,000 for a family of four, or less than $5,500 for an individual.  Infant mortality is on the rise.  Public health officials are inclined to think that average lifespan in the U.S. will decline.  It is already among the lowest in the developed world, and unlike France and Germany, our bottom 40% has a significantly lower lifespan than our top 40% - in other words our rich live really long by world standards but come to Memphis and you have infant mortality rates that are equivalent to many third world countries and lifespan rates that are dropping precipitously and are lower than what one finds in any developed country.  Access to health care is declining, an increasing number of people are uninsured and an increasing number of people who have insurance can afford health services (such as maternity wards - you would think that American conservatives would at least want free obstetric health care for white people in order to produce more white babies).  That you can go to any emergency room and get treated is hardly a help to people with cancer or people who have heart disease or diabetics and the like.