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One in nine Americans. That’s how many people in the United States grapple with poverty. A whopping 38 million struggle to secure fundamental necessities; no less than one million public school kids are homeless, and at least 30 million people don’t have basic health insurance. These figures become even more alarming when you take into account just how affluent the United States is. The country’s gross domestic product is so colossal that you could combine the economies of the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth wealthiest countries in the world, and the result would still fall short of the US’ economic prowess. In a country that’s such a massive powerhouse, it’s puzzling why people continue to experience poverty. In 1970, just under 13 percent of the population was poor. Five decades later, that figure has only dropped marginally, to 10.5 percent. Why is that so? Well, what most people don’t realize is that poverty extends far beyond the issue of limited income. It’s a co

One in nine Americans. That’s how many people in the United States grapple with poverty. A whopping 38 million struggle to secure fundamental necessities; no less than one million public school kids are homeless, and at least 30 million people don’t have basic health insurance. These figures become even more alarming when you take into account just how affluent the United States is. The country’s gross domestic product is so colossal that you could combine the economies of the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth wealthiest countries in the world, and the result would still fall sh