Letter about Child Poverty after Playing the Percentages

Originally published: June 2008

Two weeks ago the New York Times reported that the number of children in the U.S. who are under 18 and live below the poverty line grew by almost 9% between 2000 and 2006.

The Times report was based on a study by the Colorado Children’s Campaign. Colorado experienced the largest rate of growth in impoverished children, a 73% increase, which equals 76,000 more poor children than before. As might be expected, minority children were hardest hit. The number of the Colorado’s American Indian children living in poverty increased by 473 percent. New Hampshire and Delaware experienced the second and third largest rates of increase in child poverty, approximately 47% and 45% respectively.

I typed these percentage increases –standing alone and without any reference to hunger - into Google to see what was triggered in the consciousness of the vast world wide web when it recognized these numbers. I was curious to see how these percentage increases compared to other phenomenon being measured during the same time frame of 2000 to 2006 as the Colorado child poverty study, and whether it suggests anything useful about our society’s focus and priorities Here is a small sample of the results:

NY Times Report:
73% - The increase in Colorado’s child poverty between 2000 and 2006.

Google:

• 73% - The increase in profits of Pfizer Pharmaceutical, the country’s largest pharmaceutical, in the first six months of 2006
• 73% - The increase over the previous year for Nintendo Wii thanks to sales of 1.67 trillion yen
• 73% - The increase in telephone lines in Brazil since 1998

NY Times report:
473% - The increase in American Indian Children living in poverty in Colorado.

Google:

• 473% - The increase in online games revenues, year-on-year, reported by SOHU, China’s leading online media, search, and online gaming company.
• 473% - Revenue from utility and transportation same increased by 473 percent in Harford County, Maryland.

NY Times report:
9% Increase in the number of children in the U.S. who are under 18 and live below the poverty line.

Google:

• 9% increase in Mercedes-Benz sales worldwide from first half of 2005 to 2006
• 9% increase in sales reported by the Performance Food Group for 1st quarter
• 9% increased announced by Talbots clothing stores in August 2005 sales from August 2004
• 9% increase in 2006 first quarter profit reported by General Electric based on strong sales of aircraft engines, locomotives, medical equipment and financial services

New York Times report:
New Hampshire and Delaware experienced the second and third largest rates of increase in child poverty, approximately 47% and 45% respectively.

Google:

• Constellation Brands, Inc. , a leading international producer and marketer of beverage net income and EPS growth of 47 percent and 45 percent, respectively, reported by Constellation Brands, a leading producer and marketer of beverage, for the first quarter ended May 31, 2005.
• Eli Lilly, the Indianapolis based pharmaceutical, reported on April 21, 2008 that Sales outside the U.S. grew 45 percent and sales outside the U.S. increased 47 percent,

Obviously, such Googled comparisons don’t tell us anything concrete. They don’t yield apple-to-apple comparisons. But they do make it apparent that there were not enough apples for America’s hungry children despite enormous growth and profit in many sectors of the economy during that period. The economic downturn we’ve experienced in the 18 months since the child poverty study makes the future even more ominous.

The juxtaposition of our own society increasing its numbers of poor children, against the backdrop of continued accumulation of significant private wealth, might at least make us think about what could be if we are successful in getting more to share their strength and in building the political will to change.

The increases in child poverty have profound consequences for America’s next generation, as they do for Share Our Strength’s strategy to end childhood hunger. If nothing else they affirm the importance of the direction we chose, the height of the hurdles ahead, and the urgency we must bring to the task.

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