In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared war on poverty. The U.S. had no official measure of poverty and therefore no statistics on its scope, shape or changing nature. So the government came up with a way of measuring how many people in America were poor.
Counting the poor
Poverty means not having the money to purchase the basic necessities to maintain a minimally adequate life
- The government uses the official poverty line as the base to determine who’s eligible for a range of social programs, from Medicaid to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
- Everyone below the poverty line is considered in poverty
Other Measures of Poverty
Most analysts consider the official poverty line to be an extremely conservative measure of economic hardship.
- Back in 1959, the poverty line for a family of four was about half of median income in the U.S. Today, it’s about a quarter, which means the federal government’s definition of who is poor hasn’t kept up with overall rising standards of living.
The only way to win the war
To address a problem, you must have a clear understanding of its scope
- By using an extremely conservative measurement such as the federal poverty line, the U.S. minimizes the extent and depth of poverty
- An inaccurate poverty line inevitably also limits the number of impoverished people who qualify for much-needed federal and state assistance
- Broadening the definition of poverty would ensure it’s more likely to be there to support people in a crisis
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