Barbara Lee Bill Sets Goal of Cutting Poverty in Half by 2017

[Sapphire Blue]

Wednesday August 01, 2007
Contact: Nathan Britton [phone]

Barbara Lee Bill Sets Goal of Cutting Poverty in Half by 2017

(Washington, DC) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), Co-Chair of the House Out-of-Poverty Caucus, today introduced a resolution designed to set a national goal of cutting poverty in the U.S. in half over the next ten years.

“It is unacceptable that, in the richest nation in the world, there are 37 million people living in poverty,” said Lee. “Eradicating poverty needs to be a national priority, and the best way to do that is to set some measurable goals. If we are serious about this, we need to commit to cutting the number of people living in poverty in this country in half over the next ten years.”

Thirty seven million Americans, more than the population of the state of California, are living in poverty in the U.S. today, an increase of five million since 2000. The impact of growing poverty is disproportionately falling on minorities. Since 2000, median income has declined by 2.1 percent among non-Hispanic whites, by 7.4 percent among blacks, and by 5.9 percent among Hispanics. Almost one quarter of African Americans and 21.9 percent of Latinos live in poverty, compared to 8.6 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 9.8 percent of Asians.

Lee’s bill mirrors the goals put forward in a report released in April by the DC-based Center for American Progress, which based its recommendations for cutting poverty on four principles: promoting decent work, providing opportunity for all, ensuring economic security, and helping people build wealth. The recommendations included: raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation, expanding the earned income and child tax credits, promoting unionization by making it easier for employees to vote to join a union, offering child care assistance for low income families, guaranteeing early education for all and providing two million people with “opportunity housing vouchers.” The report is available online at: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/04/poverty_report.html .


http://lee.house.gov/index.cfm?ContentID=1079&ParentID=0&SectionID=4&SectionTree=4&lnk=b&ItemID=1074

Related thread: Hearing on Measuring Poverty in America; "We need a poverty measurement for 2007, not 1963.": http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1509819

[izzie]

1. Good plan but it may never happen

It is only my thinking but it takes many years to end such a thing. It is almost re-educating how a family thinks. Look at this. In about 1900 we had a great immigrations of poor from Europe and Asia and it is in this age that they are out of the class of being poor. They are the grandchildren. Then you have to look at what happened in that time to these people. One would almost have to study the people who went into WW2 and the GI bill to add to this results. Plus the whole country became rich and the laws let it filter down the class lines, but for Blacks I would say. After the Civil rights movement it started with the Blacks. Their are so many things in this movement up the class system that are being cut off now that it will always be we have the poor. Some is even a state of mind. I have read that it is now easier to move up the class line in Europe. And we see how India and China is doing it. Education of their talent at govt. cost. Does any one think that the powerful in this country will do that? I may see this as a good thing to do but millions would just say I am a socialist. The elite do not even want health care for these people. I guess we will need new leaders or re-educate the ones we have. You know I was in grade school in the 30's and health care came to our schools in a small way. I was lucky as my father could pay for such care but I swear in the 30's kids were getting care better than some now. It was at tax payers cost and in a poor state like Maine. Health plays a big part in this movement up.

[Sapphire Blue]

2. Yes, we need new leaders; first & foremost, we need John Edwards as president...

Transformational Change For America And The World - JOHN EDWARDS for PRESIDENT 2008

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A true revolution of values

"I'm proposing we set a national goal of eliminating poverty in the next 30 years." - JOHN EDWARDS 08

"If you call wanting to give everybody a chance 'class warfare,' then so be it. That's what I'm for." - JOHN EDWARDS 08

"Every time another radical Republican running for president speaks, the American people are reminded of how out of touch with economic reality they are." - JOHN EDWARDS 08

Building One America Starts in New Orleans - JOHN EDWARDS 08

Silence is Betrayal - JOHN EDWARDS 08

Moral Leadership - JOHN EDWARDS 08

Ending Poverty in America - edited by Senator John Edwards