Change the way we measure poverty, Editorial, May 3, 2010 Hartford Courant: “Starting next year, the federal government will take a few baby steps toward changing the way it measures poverty, something that is decades overdue. The government has used its official poverty guidelines to divide the haves and have-nots for 45 years. The income levels decide who qualifies for hundreds of state and federal programs such as food stamps. Any changes – at first, anyway – will just supplement the status quo. That’s too bad, because the income guidelines are inadequate, to say the least. The government yardstick has no more to do with the reality of making ends meet in the 21st century than the price of eggplants. Unfortunately, the measurements not only determine eligibility for government aid; they also shape the debate concerning problems of the poor…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty