How poor is America?

In recent years it has become obvious that Americans have had to buckle down and be savvy shoppers. The recession has taken it's toll on many people and loss of jobs is just the beginning. Rock Center with Brian Williams recently covered a story about a family in Idaho, both trained nursing assistants, who couldn't find work and were forced to depend on government assistance; mainly food stamps. The story talked about how people line up to go into Walmart at midnight on the first of each month when they receive assistance, and they even compared the chaos to a spectacle like Black Friday. The family said how they were embarrassed to admit they needed assistance, and that they would go out of their way to keep it a secret. Unfortunately, need of government assistance has become pretty common, the article continued to say that nearly 15% of the United States depends on government assistance. This topic really hits home for me, my parents are divorced so a single mother providing for two children is difficult enough. But, because of the down turn in the economy, my dad was fired from his job and is now unable to pay child support. I have to say my family got off easy though. I have friends who's parents sit at the kitchen table and honestly discuss if they have enough money to buy groceries for the week. It's a difficult situation for a lot of people who never thought it would happen to them. The question is whether or not there will be a sliver lining on the horizon any time soon.