The 1st Thread For 9/16/10: America's Poverty Rate Is Up To 14.3%

And most likely growing:

The poverty rate surged to 14.3 percent last year, the highest since 1994, as the recession took its toll on incomes, the Census Bureau said Thursday.

Also from the Census Bureau, not a suprise to see the number of people without health insurance rising as well :

Meanwhile, the number of people without health insurance coverage rose from 46.3 million in 2008 to 50.7 million in 2009, while the percentage increased from 15.4 percent to 16.7 percent over the same period.

Your modern day American Dream in full display right now.