James Melton: The war on poverty is winnable, if we change tactics

On Jan. 8, 1964, 50 years ago exactly, President Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty in the United States. Anybody who thought the war would be won quickly was wrong. That does not mean we should give up.

As we assess the war on poverty 50 years in, it’s important to note that the persistence of poverty and economic uncertainty has not been caused by the country becoming poorer or less productive than it was in the past. It has been caused by problems that good policies could correct, if we had the will to enact them.

Here is where we are now: The poverty rate has decreased somewhat compared with the roughly 20 percent levels of the early 1960s. However, despite decades-old government programs aimed at ending it, poverty remains far too widespread. Even more troubling is that millions of Americans are just a layoff or serious illness away from joining the ranks of the poor.

This is happening in an era when productivity has soared and the U.S. economy, despite several recessions, has grown tremendously. In short, the economic pie has gotten bigger, but for most Americans, their slices have not grown at nearly the same rate. For a lot of people, they have actually gotten smaller.

Complete article here: http://blogs.detroitnews.com/politics/2014/01/08/war-poverty-winnable-change-tactics/