Middle-class homelessness.

I shit you not, this is an actual quote from an article on CNN.com.

There are 12 parking lots across Santa Barbara that have been set up to accommodate the growing middle-class homelessness. These lots are believed to be part of the first program of its kind in the United States, according to organizers.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/05/19/homeless.mom/index.html

This clearly was meant to be serious journalism, but the irony of this kind of wording and the fact that the FHA (established to support affordable housing) now supports loans up to $750k is just to ludicrous. What exactly qualifies one as a middle-class person nowadays? If you can't afford to live in an actual edifice, I think it might be time to adjust our terminology for standard of living.

I may have to take back my prediction that 30-40% of this country will be living in poverty within 5-10 years. If that woman doesn't fit the criteria for living in poverty, then it's a whole new ball game.