Decem ber 21, 2011
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Page 9
Augustana
Lutheran Church
NE 15th& Knott 503-288-6174
We invite you to join us
Christmas Eve
Joy to Every Heart •M
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7 pm Candlelight Jazz
Carol Service
9 pm Candlelight Gospel/
Jazz Carol Service
11 pm Candlelight Carol
Service w/organ & choir
CHRISTMAS DAY
Worship at 10 a.m.
A multicultural, welcoming and
affirming church
Zenobia Bechtol, 18, and her seven-month-old baby girl Cassandra play in the dining room o f her m other's apartment in Austin, Texas
where they live. Bechtol and her daughter were recently evicted from their apartment after her boyfriend, an electrician, lost his job.
Half of Americans
Deemed Low-Income
Status grows
with joblessness
and fraying
safety net
(AP)— Squeezed by rising living
costs, a record number of Americans
— nearly 1 in 2 — have fallen into
poverty or are scraping by on earn
ings that classify them as low income.
The latest census data depict a
middle class that's shrinking as un
employment stays high and the
government's safety net frays. The
new numbers follow years of stag
nating wages for the middle class
that have hurt millions of workers
and families.
"Safety net programs such as
food stamps and tax credits kept
poverty from rising even higher in
2010, but for many low-income fami
lies with work-related and medical
expenses, they are considered too
'rich' to qualify," said Sheldon
Danziger, a University of Michigan
public policy professor who spe
cializes in poverty.
Robert Rector, a senior research
fellow at the conservative Heritage
Foundation, questioned whether
some people classified as poor or
low-income actually suffer material
hardship. He cited poor people who
live in decent-size homes, drive cars
and own wide-screen TVs.
Mayors in 29 cities say more than
1 in 4 people needing emergency
ni loki? - ¡d
food assistance did not receive it.
Many middle-class Americans are
dropping below the low-income
threshold — roughly $45,000 for a
family of four — because of pay
cuts, a forced reduction of work
hours or a spouse losing a job.
Housing and child-care costs are
consuming up to half of a family's
income.
States in the South and West had
the highest shares of low-income
families. Overall, about 97 million
Americans fall into a low-income
category. About 49 million fall be
low the poverty line and are counted
as poor. Together, they represent
about 48 percent of the U.S. popu
lation. That's up by 4 million from
2009.
Broken down by age, children
were most likely to be poor or low-
income — about 57 percent — fol
lowed by seniors over 65. By race
and ethnicity, Hispanics topped the
list at 73 percent, followed by blacks,
Asians and non-Hispanic whites.
Paychecks for low-income fami
lies are shrinking. The inflation-ad
justed average earnings for the bot
tom 20 percent of families have fallen
from $16,788 in 1979 to just under
$ 15,000, and earnings for the next 20
percent have rem ained flat at
$37,000. In contrast, higher-income
brackets had significant wage
growth since 1979, with earnings for
the top 5 percent of families.
Rev. W J . Mark Knutson
www.augustana.org
THE LAW OFFICES OF
Patrick John Sweeney, P.C
Patrick John Sweeney
Attorney at Law
1549 SE Ladd
Portland, Oregon
Portland:
Hillsoboro:
Facsimile:
Email:
(503) 244-2080
(503)244-2081
(503) 244-2084
Sweeney @ PDXLawyer.com
Dentures Worth
Smiling About!
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520 SW 3rd Ave., Portland, OR 97204 • 503-796-9250
A full service
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•Birthdays
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»Anniversaries
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Open: Mon.-Fri. 7:30am til 5:30pm
Saturday 9am til 2pm.
Cori Stewart—
Owner, Operator
• Professional Services • Affordable Prices
• Over 20 years experience
• Full & Partial Dentures • Natural Appearance
Full Service Lab • Accepting Oregon Health Plan
Website: avalonflowerspdx.com
email: avalonflowers@msn.com
We Offer Wire Services
Melanie Block, L.D.
D enturist
503-230-0207
200 NE 20th Ave., Suite 100
Portland OR 97232
Free parking