Interesting read. Thanks for posting it Ami.
I'll have to read it a few times to absorb the entire thing. The two things that popped out the first pass through are:

1. Upward mobility is in fact, a myth. I believe that this has been true throughout our country's history. That's why it makes such a great story when it occasionally happens.
2. with the above stated, the fact that we've a "caste" system here in America becomes evident. I'll have to reread the article, but I'm betting that the young mother is in the same situation her mother was in. I'd be curious as to the economic lifestyle of the Agnostic.com's population. Are you in the same "class/caste" as your parents? I am, and our kids are. Breaking out and up is not usually an option. So, to follow my thought further... does this mean that the "living below the poverty-line" is the fate of a caste of people which cannot, except in rare cases, be changed? That's depressing.