The Age of Precarious: 6 in 10 Americans Living on the Financial Edge

"The more we learn about the balance sheets of Americans, it becomes quite alarming."

By Deirdre Fulton / Common Dreams An unexpected medical bill or a dip in the stock market would be all it took to send two-thirds of Americans into financial distress, according to a new poll that finds lingering lack of confidence in the U.S. economy. Despite reports of falling unemployment, growing wages, and rising consumer confidence, a full 57 percent of respondents to the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey describe the national economy as poor. Only 22 percent of people say the economy has mostly or completely recovered from the Great Recession.   [Read more...]