"Poverty in the U.S.: Why Can't We End It?"
By: Steve Grumm
That’s the question that Prof. Peter Edelman of Georgetown Law (also chair of the DC Access to Justice Commission and a longtime supporter of civil legal aid) asks in this NYT op-ed. His answer comes in four parts:
With all of that, why have we not achieved more? Four reasons: An astonishing number of people work at low-wage jobs. Plus, many more households are headed now by a single parent, making it difficult for them to earn a living income from the jobs that are typically available. The near disappearance of cash assistance for low-income mothers and children — i.e., welfare — in much of the country plays a contributing role, too. And persistent issues of race and gender mean higher poverty among minorities and families headed by single mothers.
Read the piece for Edelmans’s examination of each.