A point about 1930s Great Depression statistics and Modern Statistics.
In the 30s they counted everybody who was out of work and could not find a job as unemployed. The only exceptions were farmers and the legally retired. Wives were not expected to work so they didn't count as unemployed.
Nowadays they only count the ones who are getting unemployment insurance payments and "seasonally adjust" their numbers, so some people who are getting unemployment payments in the winter are not counted either.
Welfare cases, disability cases, and the people who recieve no benefits at all are not counted.
Women who are out of work are counted but only for as long as they get Unemployment benefits. As soon as they run out of benefits then they are welfare cases.
The homeless and regular bums are not counted either.

It leaves a person wondering what the real unemployment rate is right now. I think if I started adding up the real numbers of unemployed people we would be very close to the worst depression era unemployment rates, and maybe whole lot worse.

I think the social assistance programs mask how serious the problem is. In some areas there are more people on welfare than there are unemployed.

Unemployment
http://www.bls.gov/LAU/

Temporary assistamce, social assistance, etc
http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Facts/Facts_Business.shtml

Added to the statistics problem is the fact that the attitude of the Main-Streeters towards the poor and towards the Wall-Streeters is just a harsh as it was in the 1930s.