Opinion - Some sobering figures

One in 10 Americans receive government aid. The gap between the rich and the poor in America is the widest it has ever been.

The poverty rate is rising, too. More food stamps are being used in the country. For the nation at large nearly 12 million households depend on food stamps. That’s households, not individuals.

The national unemployment rate is nearly 10 percent, and the underemployed rate has increased as people take whatever jobs they can find.

Nationally, income fell 2.9 percent between 2008 and 2009. More than 14 percent of Americans are living below the poverty line. Home ownership,...