Don't worry, TV will save us.

The new season of "The Apprentice" started tonight. I managed to sit through the first 3 minutes after "The Office" ended, which is 3 more minutes than I've ever seen.

This season, Donald told us that "I've had enough" of the economic downturn and he is supposedly determined to do something about it. So, he has decided to take 16 out-of-work professionals and pit them against one another in his little TV show contest, with the promise of making one of them his apprentice. Hence the name.

But, as is the habit around there, Donald is going to have to fire 15 of them in order to get to the eventual winner. Isn't that defeating the purpose of doing something about the unemployment problem? Waving a carrot in front of 16 people for 12 weeks and firing all but one doesn't seem to me to be doing very much about the growing unemployment problem. But it's probably good TV, and that's all that matters.

Meanwhile, new census numbers are out that say that 1 out of 7 people in America are living in poverty. That's up from the last time numbers came out, and I suppose it's about time for a reality-based TV show to finally step up and do something about it.

Anyway, it's sad to think that 14% of our population (43.6 million people) lives at or below the poverty level, which is the highest level since the 1960s and 1 percent higher than it was in 1998. Good times. The next time somebody uses the phrase "that's how the other half lives," you can correct them and say "that's how the other 86 percent lives." It's way more than half.

The 2009 poverty level was set at $21,954 for a family of four. Think about that, and put it in perspective. Four people living on $21,954 a year, minus taxes. That's poverty, folks. if you asked a bunch of people what they thought the poverty level was, I'd bet they would say something higher than $21,954 for four people, especially if they based it on what they earn and what they owe and what they want but can't afford.

Perhaps it will serve to put your own life in perspective or make you think about what you need versus what you want, and realize just how fouled-up people are who make 3 or 4 times that much and are losing their home because they can't make the mortgage payment.

We're spitting out kids at a great rate, running up debt and living for luxuries that our parents didn't have. I wonder if we realize what is really going on in the world? Sadly, not everybody has Donald Trump to care about us and put us on television. Thats a priviliege reserved for 16 lucky people.

Unfortunately, only 6 percent of them are going to find a job.