Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards: on Welfare & Poverty
37M in poverty is a plague on America
America is the richest nation on the face of the earth. It is the richest nation in all of history. Yet in the middle of this abundance 37 million of us live in poverty. The problem is that a number lacks a human face.
Statistics do not struggle. They do not go to bed hungry, wake up cold, or give up on hope.
The real story is not the number but the people behind the number. The men, women, and children living in poverty--one in eight of us--do not have enough money for the food, shelter, and clothing they need.
One in eight. That is not a problem. That is not a challenge. That is a plague. And it is our national shame.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.256
Apr 2, 2007
Poverty is America’s greatest challenge--for citizens & govt
Poverty is America’s great moral challenge in our time, and it will take all of us to meet it. This is not a problem that can be left to the government alone. This is a problem that requires the will and commitment of all of us, working as voters,
as citizens, and as neighbors. It requires us to make demands of our leaders and ourselves. I have talked to people living on the margins. I met a single mother with two children. She has a job that pays $9.50 an hour.
She told me about winters where the “choice was between lights and gas.” She chose the lights. No one who works hard should be faced with that kind of choice or that kind of worry.
Ending poverty may seem impossible, but it is not.
If we can put a man on the moon, nearly double the length of a human life, and put entire libraries on chips the size of postage stamps, then we can end poverty for those who want to work.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.257
Apr 2, 2007
Poverty is such low priority, we have no accurate statistics
However, it is clear that progress against poverty has stalled. The poverty rate is higher than it was 30 years ago. The public debate on poverty policies is stuck in a rut. One side downplays the importance of strong families and personal responsibility
The other side is driven by a deep skepticism of what government can accomplish. Both sides are right, and both sides are wrong: greater government efforts and greater personal responsibility are both necessary.
Poverty is such a low priority in Washington that politicians are not even interested in developing an accurate statistic. The official measure of Americans living in poverty is incomplete and out-of-date, according to the
National Academy of Sciences, and probably undercounts the number of the poor. We do not even count all the poor; this is a perfect metaphor for how poverty is ignored.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.258
Apr 2, 2007
Principles against poverty:work, opportunity, thrift, family
The seemingly unrelated problems faced by poor Americans are actually inextricably connected. The problems of poverty--too few jobs, debt, bad housing, bad schools, illness, and fragile families--cannot be understood or solved in isolation.However,
these problems do share one characteristic: the surest route to addressing them is by applying the time-tested ideals at the heart of the American bargain. Our nation was built on the values of hard work, equal opportunity, thrift, and strong families.
Today these principles light the way forward.
- Americans believe deeply in the value of work. Work is the pathway to success and security, but also the source of dignity and independence and self-respect.
- Our nation was founded as the land of
opportunity, and we should strive to provide equal opportunity.
- Anti-poverty programs should recognize the importance of savings.
- Americans believe in the importance of community, responsibility, and, most of all, family.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.259
Apr 2, 2007
Give poor a stake with “automatic 401k” & kids’ savings
There are a variety of strategies to give more Americans a stake in our economy. - Children’s Savings Accounts have real potential. Imagine how a few thousand dollars in the bank can transform a poor child’s sense of hope and possibility for the
future.
- A progressive tax credit could remedy inequalities in our tax code and help millions of first-time homebuyers.
- A work bonds tax credit that would give low-income workers $500 toward a new bank account or safe investment fund.
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An “automatic 401(k) ” proposal is a proven method to encourage retirement savings.
- An initiative to establish bank accounts for the 22 million American households without them. These families--who can ill afford any unnecessary expenses--pay check
cashers billions of dollars every year for services most banks provide for free.
- Finally, strong protections against predatory lending would protect the assets that families have worked hard to build.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.261
Apr 2, 2007
Housing vouchers, not housing projects
We should fight concentrated poverty with a combination of strategies for both inner-city neighborhoods and the broader regional economies. We should also expand housing vouchers. Vouchers--rather than housing projects built in low-income areas--allow
families to escape to safe communities with good schools. We can get better results at lower cost by radically overhauling the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and giving more authority to states and cities.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.262
Apr 2, 2007
30-year goal: Ending poverty in America
People ask what they can do to fight poverty. Getting involved in your community is the first step. That is as simple as finding some place to volunteer--as a mentor for a young person, a caregiver for an elderly person, or a homebuilder for a homeless
family.If we are going to build a national movement that demands actions from our leaders, each of us also needs to participate in the policy debate and raise awareness among friends and neighbors. We should all pledge to keep talking about poverty
until it is at the top of the national agenda. And we should pledge to hold our government accountable for ignoring the suffering of so many for so long.
We should not be satisfied with a modest improvement. Let us set a national goal--the elimination
of poverty in America in 30 years. It will not be easy, but I believe in the unlimited power of the American people to accomplish anything we set our hearts and minds to achieve. If we do not rest until poverty is history, it will be.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.266
Apr 2, 2007