Economy News:

“Poverty now comes with a color TV,” reports Mark Trumbull of the Christian Science Monitor. Based on US Census data, “The computer has surpassed the dishwasher as a standard household appliance,” while even the “poorest Americans have posted a sharp rise in access to air conditioning.” Trumbull quotes bemused University of Dallas economist Michael Cosgrove: “it amazes me the number of people who are at or near the poverty line that have color TVs, cable, washer, dryer, microwave... the conveniences they have are in fact pretty good.”