Paul Bucheit: Seven Deadly Sins America Commits!

The list doesn't include our most grievous offenses, those of military andeconomic warfare against the rest of the world. Sinful enough is our behavior at home. 1. Sin against children! Perhaps sanctity of life ends at birth. According to Census Bureau figures, one of out every five children lives in poverty. For blacks and Hispanics, it's one out of every three. UNICEF has reported that the US has a higher child poverty rate than every industrialized country except Romania. We are near the bottom in all measures of inequality that affect our children, including material well being, health, and education. 2. Sin against the poor: The US poverty rate grew from 11.3% to 15.0%, a 33% jump, in just 11 years. The impact was felt primarily by minorities and women. The median wealth for single black and Hispanic women is shockingly low, at just over $100, compared to $41,500 for single white women. Another shock. For every dollar of NON-HOME wealth owned by white families, people of color have only one cent. Despite the continued economic assault on already poor Americans, the number of TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) cases have dropped by 60 percent over the last 16 years. 3. Sin against students. Students at all levels have been losing their nation's support. States reduced their education budgets by $12.7 billion in 2012, and in 2013 the majority of states will be spending even less. At higher educational levels, Americans are paying much more than students in other countries. Only 38% of college expenses come from public funding, compared to 70% across other OECD countries. While other nations continue to offer free tuition, with the recognition that education leads to long term prosperity, the US system has become more corporartized, to the point that expensive programs like nursing, engineering, and computer science have been eliminated to cut costs. The profit motive has blocked the way to academic excellence!