"What the caterpillar calls the end of life, wise men call a butterfly."

The number of Americans living in poverty increased by 1.3 million last year, while the ranks of the uninsured swelled by 1.4 million, the Census Bureau reported Thursday. It was the third straight annual increase for both categories.

Approximately 35.8 million people lived below the poverty line in 2003, or about 12.5 percent of the population. There were 12.9 million children living in poverty last year, or 17.6 percent of the under-18 population. That was an increase of about 800,000 from 2002. No Child Left Behind - yeah, right.

Nearly 45 million Americans lacked health insurance, or 15.6 percent of the population. That was up from 43.5 million in 2002, or 15.2 percent.

Meanwhile, the median household income, when adjusted for inflation, remained basically flat last year.

Have the Bush administration's economic policies been a success? You decide.