Katrina and the Poor... Beginning of the End?

This probably won't come as a big surprise to anyone here, but I thought the specifics cited in this article might be of interest. I realize that the mismanagement by W and his cronies is not enough to complete shock the republicans into serious losses, yet surely the combination of sooooo many problems will: bad economy (how many companies are laying off and closing where you live?), bad war (do we really need to go there?), mounting legal problems (please... God... please "unindicted coconspirator"), and many of the republican leaders under various legal probes (adolescent: Hee Hee) and investigations (several state and national republican leaders are facing serious review and investigations...Bob Taft, anyone?).

While pundits expressed shock at the fate of the poorest inhabitants in Katrina’s wake, the U.S. class divide is not breaking news. But several new studies reveal the chasm separating those living in abject poverty from those with unimaginable fortunes is growing fast.

Big earners were the focus of “Executive Excess 2005,” a study published in September by the Institute for Policy Studies and United for a Fair Economy. The study found that the ratio between CEO and worker pay now stands at 431-to-1. In real numbers, this adds up to $11.8 million in earnings for the average CEO compared to $27,460 for the average worker.

The most significant revelation of “Executive Excess” concerned the growth in profits by companies involved in providing services, goods and military “expertise” to the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 9/11, CEOs heading defense contractor firms have seen their pay increase by 200 percent.

Meanwhile, according to the latest Census Bureau data, the percentage of Americans living in poverty now stands at 12.7 percent, the high point of a steady four-year increase. From 2003 to 2004 alone, the number of people living in poverty increased by 1.1 million to 37 million. And, as critics of the Census Bureau’s approach to poverty data collection point out, the number is likely conservative because the figures do not account for regional differences in housing costs—nor are they adjusted for the rising costs of childcare and health care.

So, with Seniors, families with children, high school and college kids, the poor, and the increasingly under attack middle class... and more... all feeling the squeeze from this badly mismanaged group of republican blowhards, can the end be far behind? And, of course, by THE END, I mean out of office... can that be far behind? For all our sakes, lets hope that end comes soon.