I live in El Paso. It's as far west as one can go and still be in Texas. Most recently, Texas is noted for the pride it takes in giving George W. Bush to the nation as president, home of the "ranch" where Bush spends most of his vast blocks of vacation time, and Enron. But El Paso is not quite the typical hotbed of conservatism the rest of the state enjoys. In fact, we have an opposition party representative ("Democrat" is not a word that rolls easily off my tongue any more) in the House that actually voted against Bush's war (a statement Hillary Clinton can't make!).Being a border city, El Paso does not share the prosperity the rest of Texas or the nation enjoys. Latest figures show the median household incomes here to be $28,925 compared with the state's median of $41,759 and the nation's $44,684.
Suspecting the demise of capitalism will most likely occur in my lifetime may have played a role in my decision to reside in El Paso, i.e. as the standard of living for the majority continues to decline as poverty increases, I and my family will not have as far to fall in the nation's transition toward Third Worldism.
Today's figures on poverty in the El Paso Times show a dramatic increase. Yesterday's Census Bureau estimates show those below the poverty line rose from from 190,000 in 2003 to 226,000 in 2004. That's a remarkable 19% increase in just one year's time!
Now, some reading this may think, "Yeh, but El Paso's just one of those poor border cities unrepresentative of the rest of the nation." And I'll grant that's true. But what I'm talking about here is trend. And in that, I have no doubt El Paso is but a canary for many parts of the rest of the country.
Keep in mind, these latest figures are from a year ago when oil prices averaged below $30 per barrel. Today, oil prices flirt with $70 at the moment on their way to new highs. A USA Today article reports the percentage low-income folks spend on just gas (exclusive of the rise in prices of goods due to increased fuel costs) has climbed from 8% of their earnings in 2002 to 11% today.
If I thought today's increase in poverty figures were dramatic, I can't wait to see next year's.
Anyone have a toolshed in the backyard they might want to rent out as an apartment to supplement their declining real income?
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Anyone have a toolshed in the backyard they might want to rent out as an apartment to supplement their declining real income?
You'd be out of luck if you wanted to rent a tool shed or garage to live in here in central California. They're already occupied by the working poor. The cost of housing continues to rise while salaries do not.
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