Working Americans ‘Still Can’t Afford To Eat’

In his State of the Union Address, the President promised to pursue “an agenda that will raise standards of living.”

But a study released today by the America’s Second Harvest shows that Bush has fallen short. Nine million Americans sought aid from food pantries and soup kitchens last year, even though they were members of households where at least one person had a job.

A look at why working Americans are struggling to put food on the table:

– After adjusting for inflation, wages have not risen during the last three years. In fact, real hourly wages fell for most middle and low-income workers in 2005.

– An individual who works full-time at the current minimum wage earns about $10,700 a year —$5,390 below the 2005 poverty line for a family of three, and $8,650 below the poverty line for a family of four.

– The inflation-adjusted value of the minimum wage is 29 percent lower today than it was in 1979.

So far, Bush has succeeded only at creating low-wage jobs and long lines at the nation’s soup-kitchens.