Number of working poor families rises by 200,000 in one year

Not that many people in power are paying attention, but the problem of “the working poor” is serious, and growing. Instead of continuing to focus on expensive military toys and free money for Wall Street, this deserves a lot more attention.
What’s interesting to note is that the problem is greater in the South and Southwest, which are typically repugican voting areas.  (Not that that’s a surprise to most of us who have been paying attention.)  It seems all that repugican concern over gay marriage, abortion, and Mexicans (though really, any Latino freaks them out) hasn’t done a lot to address the actual problems facing Red State families.
The big question remains: Will Red Staters ever figure out that the Republican party doesn’t represent their best interests?

But at least the bankers got what they wanted, right?

The number of U.S. families struggling with poverty despite parents being employed continued to grow in 2011 as more people returned to work but mostly at lower-paying service jobs, an analysis released on Tuesday shows.
More working parents have taken jobs as cashiers, maids, waiters and other low-wage jobs in fast growing sectors that offer fewer hours and benefits, according to The Working Poor Project, a privately funded effort aimed at improving economic security for low-income families.
The result is 200,000 more such working families – the so-called “working poor” – emerged in 2011 than in 2010, according to the report, based on analysis of the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.