America's North Shore Journal

I took a few minutes over the weekend to analyze the latest information from the Census Bureau on Poverty in the United States. That information can be found here.

I have updated the table I created here.

I have also taken the time to graph a variety of data from the report. Why? Well, everyone keeps saying how wonderful things were under Bill Clinton. The graphs tell the true story. Except for the Clinton “boom” years, the current President’s data stacks up quite nicely in comparison. In fact, were it not for the Clinton “boom” most of the major data would be at record numbers, to the good, for George Bush.

Of Clinton’s eight years in office, only the last three had a better poverty rate than George Bush. The same holds true for the black poverty rate. When it comes to youth in poverty, only two of Clinton’s years were better than Bush. Poverty among the elderly is at the second lowest rate in history, in 2004, and Clinton’s record low was only one tenth of a percent lower, in 1999. Clinton only had two years when the poverty rate for the elderly was lower than any of the four Bush years.

Now comes the topper. NOW, indeed. Wage parity between women and men is at record levels under the Bush administration. Bush’s worst year of the four is still over a percentage point higher than Clinton’s best year. How come NOW isn’t rejoicing in the Bush Presidency?

Let’s face facts. The Bush administration has reduced poverty in America.

Here are the data and the graphs: POVERTY