No time for a real post, so I leave with this informative info graphic on the extent of poverty in the US:

Things haven’t changed much since the 19th century, assuming that one can use illiteracy as a proxy for poverty. The South and the lower parts of Texas and Arizona are still hotbeds of poverty and a lack of resources. Perhaps the trickle down economy just has yet to hit these places….

http://www.mint.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Mint_Poverty.swfBudget Planner – Mint.com