John Stossel Please Note: Finland Ranks Higher In...

Kids Can't Think On An Empty Stomach!

Poverty has been recognized as one of the most powerful factors that can affect children's brain development. As poor children grow into adolescence and adulthood, they are more likely to drop out of school, have children out of wedlock, and be unemployed.

Last Friday, January 13, ABC's 20/20 aired a segment reported by John Stossel titled "Stupid In America: How We Cheat Our Kids."

Stossel missed some important factors that no doubt influence his opionions -- he didn't share at lot of facts and figures with the viewers. He relied on individual antidotes to make his point.

Here's a few points to ponder:

1. UNICEF states that although the U.S. is still the wealthiest country on Earth, with income levels higher than any other country, it also has one of the highest incidences of child poverty among the rich, industrialized nations.

2. Denmark and Finland have child-poverty levels of less than 3 percent, and are closely followed by Norway and Sweden, thanks to higher levels of social spending. In the U.S., 17 percent of children live in poverty.
3. Children are a disproportionate share of the poor in the U.S. Although they are 26 percent of the total population, they constitute 39 percent of the poor.

Read more@ Seattle Times in the an editorial titled:
Rich man, poor man: hungry children in America
By César Chelala