Comment Posted at New York Times 9-14-09

Reproduced with some small changes in punctuation, grammar and spelling.

*** The Situation on the Ground ***


Our nation has changed rapidly since 1980s. Look:
 1 in 8 Americans experience Food Insecurity, 48% of homeowners are or near under water, 72% of American
 adults are 3 or less paychecks away from homeless, 11% of US adults have filed or are preparing to file for personal bankruptcy, 23% of US population are negative worth individuals. Every weekday, at least 350 men call our small clinic and inquire about donating sperm for CASH, etc.


We live in a very poor nation, most cities and states are broke, and a vast majority our citizens are in deep debt, except most of us can get few credit cards and Sustain for A While; but the situation can’t last indefinitely...

We have a situation where more than one third of our population have trouble with their very
 basic needs: food, shelter etc. 
The question is not when US will start a socialist revolution, but how soon massive riots will spread around
 the country.

Look, we have 10% unemployment, over 
4 million of those will run out of their unemployment insurance. They have 2 choices: starving to death or Riot.
..

— Jerry Adams

You may wonder how socialism crept into this comment. The comment is in response to a discussion in the Times on what socialism means today.

I have not checked the data. It looks plausible to me. What interests me is the take on the US as a poor country, where most people are just getting by or not getting by. We tend not to see ourselves this way.