We often read that the lion’s share of economic gains and tax cuts  has gone to the upper 1% or 10%, but less attention is paid to those who are left at the bottom, living lives of desperation in a land of plenty.

Martin Levine describes the forgotten Americans in this powerful article.

https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2018/02/02/world-class-poverty-americas-booming-economy/

He writes:

“How bad is the situation? Over the first two weeks of December, Professor Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, visited the United States. His findings, perhaps surprising, painted a very disturbing picture as he compared how the US, one of the world’s wealthiest nations, compares to other developed nations:

*US health care expenditures per capita are double the OECD.…

*But there are many fewer doctors and hospital beds per person than the OECD average.

*US infant mortality rates in 2013 were the highest in the developed world.

*Americans can expect to live shorter and sicker lives.

*U.S. inequality levels are far higher than those in most European countries.

*In terms of access to water and sanitation, the US ranks 36th in the world.

*The youth poverty rate in the United States is the highest across the OECD, with one-quarter of youth living in poverty compared to less than 14 percent across the OECD.

*The Stanford Center on Inequality and Poverty ranks the most well-off countries in terms of labor markets, poverty, safety net, wealth inequality, and economic mobility. The US comes in last of the top 10 most well-off countries, and 18th amongst the top 21.

*In the OECD, the US ranks 35th out of 37 in terms of poverty and inequality.

*US child poverty rates are the highest amongst the six richest countries—Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden and Norway….

“For years…the needs of poor Americans (or poor Europeans) have received little priority relative to the needs of Africans or Asians. As an economist concerned with global poverty, I have long accepted this practical and ethical framework. In my own giving, I have prioritized the faraway poor over the poor at home. Recently, and especially with these insightful new data, I have come to doubt both the reasoning and the empirical support. There are millions of Americans whose suffering, through material poverty and poor health, is as bad or worse than that of the people in Africa or in Asia.
Alston observed that “There is no magic recipe for eliminating extreme poverty, and each level of government must make its own good faith decisions. But at the end of the day, particularly in a rich country like the USA, the persistence of extreme poverty is a political choice made by those in power. With political will, it could readily be eliminated.” The current administration does not see those in need as a priority.”