The U.S. Census Bureau said this week that the number of poor people in this country is really higher than officials had thought—49.7 million, about 16 percent of the population. Economists and others report that not only are the poor getting poorer and the rich richer, but that the American Dream is fading fast. More and more poor people say they can’t see or imagine how they will ever be better off. Some voices say the problem is economic, social, political, and theological, too.
