Mission Accomplished

Reuters:

The U.S. poverty rate rose in 2004 as an additional 1.1 million people slipped below the poverty line, the government said on Tuesday.

The percentage of the U.S. population living in poverty rose to 12.7 percent from 12.5 percent in 2003, the Census Bureau said in its annual poverty report.

The ranks of the poor rose to 37.0 million, up from 35.9 million the previous year, the report said.

The real median income in 2004 totaled $44,389, unchanged from 2003.