Is the U.S. no longer a "Developed Nation?"

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How can the U.S. say its a "Developed Nation" if over 49 million Americans now fall into the poverty line?  The outdated term is "First World Nation" --  so to re-ask the question:  "How can the U.S. say its a "First World Nation" if so much of its populace has fallen below the poverty line?  See the links below that explain our dire situation.

Considering this date - it is no surprise that the Occupy Movement has appeared in so many American cities.

MTH
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The London Guardian has a link that show the percentage of poverty in American cities.  Click HERE  to get this information.  Note that this information is only about what the Brookings Institution called "poverty tracts" --  


Houston:  Over  840,000 people live in poverty
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Op-Ed Columnist

Inconvenient Income Inequality

By CHARLES M. BLOW - New York Times - Published: December 16, 2011    

...An Associated Press report this week on census data found that “a record number of Americans — nearly 1 in 2 — have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income.” The report said that the data “depict a middle class that’s shrinking.” ...link to complete NYT article      
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Nearly Half of Americans Below Poverty Line or Low-Income - Democracy Now - December 16, 2011

New figures show hunger, poverty and economic decline are increasing at record levels across the United States. The Census Bureau reports nearly half of Americans have either fallen below the poverty line or are classified under the category of "low income." The number of low-income residents is at 97.3 million, coupled with 49.1 million in poverty, for a total of 146.4 million. The figure marks an increase of four million over 2009. Meanwhile, the U.S. Conference of Mayors reports all but four of 29 major cities saw an increase in requests for emergency food assistance between September 2010 and August 2011. 
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US poverty data: 1 in 15 people among America's poorest poor - Guardian.co.uk - November 3, 2011

Associated Press -Data shows about 20.5m Americans make up the poorest poor, defined as those at 50% or less of the official poverty level

• Get the data: where are America's super-poor?