Current Events & Trends: Poverty on the rise in America
A London Times analytical report from the United States revealed that "figures from the US Census Bureau suggest that the economic crisis sparked in 2007 has turned the US into an 'hourglass' society, with a shrinking middle class squeezed between the very affluent and the very poor.
. . . The spending power of those in the middle is falling and real median income, at $50,054 (£30,000) remains 8 per cent below pre-recession levels" (Alexandra Frean, "A Squeezed Society," Oct. 6, 2012).
Introduced back in 1961, "America's main weapon against hunger is the Federal Government's food stamps programme, which provides a record 47 million people with funds to buy groceries" (Rhys Blakely, "This Is Our Nation Too, Say America's Invisible Poor," Oct. 6, 2012).
According to Mr. Blakely's report, "Nearly a quarter of the nation's children live in poverty . . . and the number of people living on less than $2 a day has doubled since 1966."
This simply should not be in a nation so abundantly blessed by God as He predetermined so long ago in the book of Genesis. To understand what's happened, read our Bible study aid booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy. (Source: The Times [London].)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: November - December 2012
Course Content
Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
