Welcome to America 2025
Reality is the bedrock of
existence. An unwavering acceptance of the
current reality of the human condition is an essential component of any viable
social order. The willingness of
humanity to acknowledge the problems it faces and a determination to
effectively deal with them is a measure of the longevity of any human society. This
commitment requires the ability to acquire, accept and evaluate real data. When delusional thinking undermines an
acceptance of these data, it threatens the viability of the State.
The multiplicity of problems that
beset everyday life in America clearly underscores the degree to which these
problems are being ignored. What worsens
this situation considerably, Is the fact that the data that establishes the severity
of these issues is being purposefully suppressed, and supplanted by false
propaganda, lies and egregious misinformation.
The following is an outline of some
of the fundamental issues that a substantial percentage of the American
population endure on a daily basis:
· Wealth Inequality
Foremost of these is the extent
of income and wealth inequality that is evident throughout the country. Depending on the source of the information,
there are between 900 and 1100 billionaires in the United States. These individuals have a combined net worth
of 6.8 trillion dollars. The top 1% of
the nation’s households possesses 31% of the wealth of the entire nation. Furthermore, the total wealth possessed by
10% of the population is equivalent to 70% of the entire wealth of the nation
leaving the remaining population – 306 million – with the 30% of the wealth
that remains. These numbers do not take
into account the enormous wealth that is being sequestered in so-called illegal
offshore tax havens – estimated to amount to between 11 and 32 trillion
dollars. This enormous wealth inequality
readily explains the lack of public resources available to effectively deal
with the nagging issues faced by the vast majority of the citizens of the
United States, and the undue influence of the wealthy in regard to the shaping
of public policy.
Among high-income nations, the
U.S. lies at the bottom in regard to adequate medical coverage and 15th in the
world in terms of the number of individuals per capita having no medical
coverage. As of 2022, 43% of working age
adults were inadequately insured.
According to recent data from the
Center for Disease Control (CDC), the percentage of individuals with no health
insurance in 2024 was 8.2 or 27.2 million individuals. However, without the extension of the
enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium in regard to available tax credits
that are set to expire by the end of the year, the number of uninsured is
expected to increase by 4.8 million individuals.
What is the extent of poverty in
the US in 2025? Although the statistics
may vary somewhat, depending upon the source of these statistics, the data
clearly shows that poverty is a significant issue that reflects upon the
quality of life for tens of millions of individuals in the United States
In 2025, the poverty threshold as
established by the federal government for a single person is an annual income
of $15,650, and for a family of four, it is $32,150. These numbers when compared with the actual
cost of living experienced by most Americans clearly shows that those
individuals and families falling under these thresholds, face significant
challenges in their daily lives. The
federally mandated minimum wage is $7.25 per hour is below the threshold for
poverty. This reality becomes more
foreboding given the fact that Nearly 23 million people live in households that
pay more than 50% of their income toward rent, an all-time high. In addition, 63% of workers polled claim that they would not be able to cover the cost of emergency expenditure that exceeded $500
demonstrating how low the savings rate is among ordinary Americans.
If poverty is defined as the
state of being in which the ordinary needs such as adequate nutrition, shelter,
access to adequate health care and safety required for survival cannot be met,
all these data strongly demonstrate that the percentage of individuals and
families who live in poverty is significantly underestimated, and the reality
of poverty is far more pervasive than believed.
The income figures cited above
are used to determine eligibility for various government assistance programs,
though some analyses suggest they may not reflect a complete picture of
economic security. Recent reports demonstrate
that a significant portion of the population experiences economic hardship, and
while the national official poverty rate was about 11.1% (38.6 million) in
2024, some groups like seniors face higher poverty rates, and affordability
issues are a major concern for many families regardless of income level.
Given the current political
climate in 2025, there has been an alarming increase in the number of
individuals and families that struggle daily to have access to enough
nutritional foods to maintain and sustain good health.
In 2023, 13.5% of U.S.
households, or about 47.4 million people, experienced food insecurity, meaning
they lacked consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. This represents a significant increase from
the previous year. Children represent a
particularly vulnerable population. The
data shows that 13.8 million children lived in so-called “food-insecure”
households, and that 1 in 5 children are at a risk of hunger. If this problem is allowed to persist, it
projects an adult population in the future where 20% would have grown up
malnourished during a key developmental period for growing children. Lastly, 5.1% of the population endured severe
food insecurity where they skipped meals and needed to reduce nutritional food
intake.
Food insecurity is driven by
factors like low income, the high cost of living, especially in regard to
housing, and other systemic issues. In
addition, Black and Latino communities are disproportionately impacted. The Southern states are also adversely affected
in this regard.
According to the data gathered by
the Prison Policy Initiative regarding the entire prison population in the
U.S., “These systems hold nearly 2
million people in 1,566 state prisons, 98 federal prisons, 3,116 local jails,
1,277 juvenile correctional facilities, 133 immigration detention facilities,
and 80 Indian country jails, as well as in military prisons, civil commitment
centers, state psychiatric hospitals, and prisons in the U.S. territories — at
a system-wide cost of at least $182 billion each year.”
Currently, the U.S. is the 5th highest in the world in the
number of individuals imprisoned per capita – (~585/100,000). In U.S. prisons, 31% are White whereas
Blacks constitute 32% of the prison population – Blacks are, therefore,
incarcerated at 5 times the rate as compared to Whites, since Whites constitute
61.6% of the population whereas Blacks constitute only 12.4%. In addition, those in prison are
predominantly poor. Inmates in U.S.
prisons overwhelmingly come from disadvantaged economic backgrounds,
earning substantially less prior to incarceration than those not in
prison. Poverty is a strong predictor of
incarceration. A closer look at these
data as described in reports from organizations like the Prison Policy
Initiative and the Brookings Institution is shown below:
·
“Median Pre-Incarceration Income: Incarcerated
individuals (ages 27-42) had significantly lower median annual incomes prior to
incarceration ($19,650 for men and $13,890 for women in 2014 dollars) compared
to non-incarcerated people in the same age group ($41,250 for men and $23,745
for women).
·
“Employment Rates: Three years before
incarceration, only 49% of prime-age men were employed, with a median earning
of $6,250.
·
“Poverty Concentration: Incarcerated
individuals are concentrated at the lowest income levels, with the median
incarcerated man earning only 48% of the median non-incarcerated man's
pre-incarceration income.
·
“Childhood Poverty Link: Growing up in poverty
is strongly linked to incarceration; boys from the bottom 10% of the income
distribution are 20 times more likely to be in prison in their early 30s than
those from the wealthiest families.
·
“Post-Release Outcomes: Economic difficulties
persist after release, with only 55% of formerly incarcerated individuals
reporting earnings in the first year and a high unemployment rate of around
27%.
·
“Incarceration Costs to Families: The economic
burden on families is substantial, with 34% incurring debt from transportation
and phone costs alone.”
Denial of the Existence of Climate Change
From the beginning of the Trump
administration following the 2024 Presidential election, climate change was
declared a hoax and, as a consequence, the U.S. unilaterally pulled out of the
Paris Climate Agreement that was set up in 2015 with the expressed goal of
limiting greenhouse gas emissions. This
international agreement has 195 signatories.
Its goal is to limit the average
global temperature increase to well below 2 degrees Celsius above
pre-industrial levels and to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as part
of the larger framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC).
This decision to deny the real existence
of climate change flies in the face of reason and the preponderance of
scientific evidence that has clearly shown an unambiguous connection between quantity
of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and its deleterious impact upon climate
change. This decision clearly
highlights the corrupting relationship between American politics and
politicians and the corporate institutions that have a financial stake (namely,
oil and natural gas interests) in maintaining the current status quo.
This decision engages an
anti-science sentiment that seems pervasive throughout the United States. This is an unsettling trend that if it
continues unabated will ultimately stymie human progress in the US and
elsewhere.
In conclusion, the information as
presented above demonstrates the severity of the issues that face this
nation. If these problems are
unattended, they will collectively act as a serious impediment to the future
progress of this nation. For me, such a
future would be unfortunate. These
seemingly endemic issues that produce a great deal of personal suffering for
tens of millions of our citizens are all solvable if there is the collective
will to do so. In that light, all of the
suffering endured by so many is completely avoidable.
Currently, the model for
governing on the federal level seems to have embraced a laissez faire attitude
embracing policies that clearly lack any concern, compassion or apparent motivation
to deal with the serious issues that face so many of the nation’s
citizens. The current leader of all the
people has proclaimed that he hates those who embrace the Democratic Party –
that is probably more than half of the entire population. This is an approach that throughout human
history, usually signifies oligarchic and despotic regimes.
However, such a form of government
is not what one would expect in a country that sees itself as a representative
democracy where all the people are duly and effectively represented; where
serious issues are dealt with reasonably and effectively; where the security
and well-being of everyone is considered, and where everyone is treated fairly
and equitably.
The End
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