1. OR, DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING (OR ANYTHING) YOU HEAR ON FOX NEWS. Poverty Then and Now

2. Then and now stats (Columbia U. study) Then:  1967:26% living in poverty Now:  201216% (if safety net programs included in measure) Other measures:  27.4 then  15% or 11.1 now

3. More stats (see also charts) Seniors  Then (1959) 35%  Now (2012)9.5 Children  Now: 22% overall; 38% African-American; 34% Hispanic  Those with access to food stamps healthier and higher incomes in later life than those who didn’t Lower income Americans overall:  Much healthier and better nourished than in 1960s

4. Causes of Poverty Liberals and leftward:  Economy, especially…  Job market and wage stagnation  wages used to rise with worker productivity, but linkage ended in 1980s.  Since 1970s, bottom 1/3 of male workers experienced sharp wage decline  Decline of unionization rates and legal changes making it more difficult to unionize  Income inequality  Individual and family wages  Impact on politics: see Demos report and note worsening from Buckley to Citizens United to (imminently) McCutcheon  Social issues: discrimination (jobs, housing, undocumented, etc.), incarcerations rates; etc. etc.

5. Causes, con’t Conservative view  Heritage Foundation, Rachel Sheffield:  “Poverty is caused by the choices people make: things like using drugs, abusing alcohol, dropping out of school and having children outside of marriage.”  Other:  Brookings institute co-director Ron Haskins: “Unless young people get more education, work more, and stop having babies outside marriage, government spending will be minimally effective in fighting poverty.”  Govt. programs reduced incentivizes to work and be self- sufficienct

6. Solutions Liberal:  Stimulate the economy  Govt. infrastructure programs for jobs  Expanded safety net  Minimum wage increases  Expand/increase earned income tax credit  Close the wage and wealth gaps  more progressive income taxation (tax the rich)  expanded safety net  invest in and lower cost of education Expanded loan forgiveness  Publicly-funded elections

7. Solutions: Conservative Reduce safety net so people will have to work more and harder (and tie receipt of them to work.)  Rachel Sheffield: “are we really curing poverty by making people dependent on government handouts?” Reduce taxes (across the board)  Cut payroll taxes Eliminate disincentives for businesses and their execs and owners to “grow”  Eliminate regulations on business  Eliminate limitations on “wealth creation” (taxes on wealthy) Eliminate restrictions on political contributions and expenditures