A Searing Indictment of Poverty and Policy Choices: 'Politicians catering to the extremely wealthy at the expense of the 140 million Americans who are poor or low-income is precisely what made the pandemic so deadly.'
In a word, because of poverty—and the policy choices that perpetuate it. Our task now is to make different choices.
It's not just that the poor have suffered. Equally important is that the very richest Americans have seen their wealth skyrocket.new research by the Poor People's Campaign strongly suggests the poor and low-income have suffered the most. Even controlling for vaccination rates, they found that COVID-19 death rates in poorer U.S. counties were nearly double those in wealthier counties. During the deadliest phases of the pandemic, it rose to five times as many.
White Americans still make up the largest share of America's poor and those who've died from COVID-19. But Black, Hispanic and Indigenous Americans are significantly overrepresented in America's poorest counties, and COVID-19 casualty rates runPoor Americans are hit hardest for many reasons. Since they make up a large share of low-wage, frontline workers, they're more exposed to the virus and often lack paid sick leave if they contract it.
But it's not just that the poor have suffered. Equally important is that the very richest Americans have seen their wealth skyrocket.
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