WAGE HIKE CAN FIGHT POVERTY.(PERSPECTIVE)

Byline: HOLLY SKLAR

If poor Americans were a nation, the population would top Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming and the District of Columbia, combined.

That's using the Census Bureau's low-ball poverty count of 35 million Americans.

If the Forbes 400 richest Americans were a nation, they could celebrate New Year's together in a hotel ballroom. Don't look for ``The Simple Life'' rich kids Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. Their families don't come close to making the list. …