Everyone from the 99 Percenters to the Have-Plenty knows it: ours is a highly unequal society. And a highly unequal society demands a robust social safety net. Do we have one? Not so much. Take a look:
Wealth has concentrated:
 
…and though economists tell us the recession is over, you could have fooled us. There’s barely any recovery on unemployment…
…with Hispanics and African-Americans the hardest hit.
So the number of Americans on food stamps is climbing…

…and millions more are getting their health insurance through Medicaid.

Programs to serve the homeless are dramatically underfunded.

The fragmented safety net leaves millions of children in poverty:

  …and despite all this, the share of qualifying Americans who are able to access public services has fallen.

Want to know more? Check out The Nation’s new special issue on America’s fragmented safety net.