I gotta say, I first caught this on Beforeitsnews.com and as I read through it, I thought it was the same old song we've heard a billion times.  We're in "economic decay", unemployment is at a nationwide high, homeless shelters are over-packed, nothing we haven't heard before.  It's like I almost don't see it with my own eyes.  So I checked out the recommended video from the BBC channel called Poor America and it completely blew me away.  You wouldn't believe what some Americans will be doing today just to survive.  And to quote the author of the story;  "Yes, money certainly cannot buy happiness, but the lack of it sure can bring a lot of pain."  Makes you think about all the things we take for granted, to many Americans, toilet paper and soap is a luxury.  The fight against poverty isn't overseas in 3rd world countries anymore, it's right here in your front yard.

I seriously suggest you watch the video at the top, but if you just don't have the 30 minutes and want a brief overview, I got your back.

The video is truly compelling and takes us to the truth of what our neighbors are going through.  Some families are living in tents or sewers/drain tunnels.  Ketchup soup for dinner?  Children will be eating that tonight, or maybe they'll feast on the ribcage of a rat as they sleep in a tent.  As you read this, there are close to 50 million Americans that are living below the poverty line, and that number rises a little bit more every single day.

There are millions of our brothers and sisters that have simply gave up hope on a bright future.  People are losing jobs, and their unemployment benefits at an ever increasing rate.  People are finding it harder and harder to just find a job and probably don't have any savings to fall back on.

I wanna show you a little insight provided by the author of the story I read:

Millions of other families are trying to get by on the incomes they pull in from part-time jobs.  According to Gallup, the percentage of Americans that are working part-time jobs but that would like full-time jobs is now higher than it has been at any other time in the last two years.  The number of the "working poor" just continues to increase, but most Americans don't have much sympathy for them because they "have jobs".

Well, when you are making 8 bucks an hour it can be incredibly tough to make it from month to month.

Just look at how much it costs to buy the basic things that we need.

Without gasoline, most of us would not even be able to get to our jobs.  The price of gasoline has increased 83 percent since Barack Obama first took office, and it is poised to soar even higher.  Right now, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States is $3.51.  Never before has the average price of gas gone above $3.50 so early in the year.  Many believe that we could set a new all-time record this summer.

But last year was bad enough.  In 2011, the average American family spent over $4,000 on gasoline.

So when you are making just a few hundred dollars per week, it can be a massive struggle just to put gas in your car and food on the table.

And he's right, I have many friends that are living paycheck to paycheck and find it hard to make ends meet.  I myself go through this on a week to week basis and I know how it goes.  I've never really had much, which may be a reason I have trouble seeing the economic decay around me, because I live it everyday.  I know what it's like to wonder how I'm going to feed my dogs and cat or how long I can put off paying my electric bill without it royally screwing me in late fees.

So what's all causing it?  Well most people will blame oil tycoons or billionaire families, but is that really the answer?

Maybe America has just had it's run and this is just the inevitable.   If anything is certain, it's that the future is uncertain.

Soon you and I may end up eating rats and ketchup soup.  Soon millions of Americans might be doing things they never ever dreamed of doing just to make it.

I'm not saying feel sorry for me and my friends or anyone else that is struggling in life.  I think this is just a reckoning of some sort.  I don't think pointing fingers at Obama or anyone else is going to "fix" anything.

The most we can do is hope.  Hope is one of the strongest things we have in our lives.  It can inspire, raise monuments, bring down racial barriers, it is simply the most powerful thing we have.  Hope and yes love.  So love your family tonight, appreciate your friends.  We all just want to be a part of something special, but we have to make it special.  So what I can barely pay my bills and the nation is falling apart around me.  I have a great family and amazing friends!  I've learned so much in my life I can't even begin to put it all in words.  I have this awesome job that pays me to have fun with some really cool people!  I think I am living the American dream!  I'm a part of something special, I have ideas and I share them with others that feel the same way as I do, I have love, I felt every emotion there is to feel. If that's not what it's all about, I don't want to live the dream.

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