Politics and Poverty

Posted on January 8, 2014 by admin

• The political war over poverty, By Leigh Ann Caldwell, January 8, 2014, CNN: “Tianna Gaines-Turner is so politically active, she gave 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney a questionnaire to answer on policy positions. When he failed to respond, she volunteered on President Barack Obama’s campaign. She also encourages her neighbors to vote. Her activism is persistent despite feeling like she is an ignored component of the American electorate. ‘I feel like they’re not talking to me,’ Gaines-Turner said of politicians. That’s because she is poor. Her life is not unlike those of millions of Americans who rely on a patchwork of government assistance and near-minimum wage jobs…”
• Republicans move to reclaim poverty-fighting mantle, By Annie Lowrey and Ashley Parker, January 8, 2014, New York Times: “Senator Marco Rubio says the American dream has become ‘unattainable.’ Senator Mike Lee says reforming government benefits programs should be the country’s ‘first priority.’ And Representative Paul D. Ryan says the government safety net has ‘failed miserably.’ Fifty years after President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a war on poverty, the message from Republicans in Congress is that the government has foundered in its efforts to address the problem…”
• Deep divides split Washington over how to combat poverty, By Rebecca Kaplan, January 8, 2014, CBS News: “Fifty years after President Lyndon Johnson first declared “War on Poverty,” lawmakers are still looking for ways to root it out of society. In 2014, it stands to be a central issue as Democrats shape their legislative and campaign agendas around issues like unemployment benefits and a minimum wage increase. But there are Republicans looking get in on the action as well. As political divisions between the two parties have deepened in recent years, so have the differences between their fiscal philosophies. The debate over whether to extend emergency unemployment benefits is a microcosm of this larger divide as Democrats call for an unconditional extension of benefits and Republicans seek to offset the cost and add additional job-creation measures. Many of the 2014 debates may well center around who is doing more to help low-income and middle-class Americans…”