The annual report found income up and poverty down across ages, races and regions last year, as a strong economy pushed American paychecks to levels not seen since before the recession of the early 1990s.
"Economic growth continues to raise incomes, lift millions out of poverty and extend opportunity," President Clinton said from the Rose Garden.
Median family income edged up 1.9 percent after inflation to $37,005, giving families an extra $700 in 1997. Half the nation's families earned less than the median, half earned more.
A total of 35.6 million Americans lived below the poverty line, or 13.3 percent of the nation, down slightly from 1996.
The most dramatic changes came for black families. Their median incomes jumped 4.3 percent last year after inflation to $25,050, meaning the typical black family had an extra $1,000 in 1997.
While their poverty rates fell to the lowest level in four decades, 26.5 percent of all blacks remained poor, which in 1997 meant an annual income of $16,400 for a family of four. Thirty-seven percent of black children were poor, another record low.
"The goal is to get a conversation going that changes the climate," said Marie Wilson, head of the White House Project, a nonpartisan group pushing for a new focus on women in politics.
The group will distribute a million ballots in 12 states listing 20 prominent women and asking voters to pick five they think are capable of seeking the White House.
After the million ballots are distributed in the targeted states, they will be put in national magazines geared toward female readers.
"Americans are hungry for the chance to vote for a woman," Wilson said. She noted that while women account for 52 percent of the population, they are 9 percent of the Senate,
12 percent of the House and 6 percent of the nation's governors.
The project has been in the works for a year, and Wilson announced it yesterday in a conference call with reporters. The timing comes as the White House remained immersed in sex scandals involving President Clinton.
Animal parents may gain important benefits for the future of the their species by a little hanky-panky, research shows.
A female may stray to pick up the best genes possible for her offspring, say the experts, while males may be driven by an impulse to father as many and as often as possible.
09-25-98
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