The U.S. Is Losing a Generation to Poverty

The U.S. Is Losing a Generation to Poverty

For the first time since the Great Recession, poverty has declined. From last year to this one poverty in the United States has decreased by .5 percent from 15 percent to 14.5 percent and child poverty has also decreased by almost 2 percent. While these numbers are not very substantial, it is a step forward and had some people quite happy. Despite this seemingly good news, however, poverty rates are still higher than they were before the recession, this is just the first time they've gone down. At the current rate it would take until 2020 for the poverty rate to be at the 2000 level.

The article talks about the qualifications of being in poverty, this formula was made by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. That was 30 years ago, and the world has changed quite a bit. It is a little less obvious now who is and is not in poverty. It has become quite a common struggle in the United States, with our poverty rate higher than other developed nations such as France and the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, children are also the poorest demographic group in the US. Children in poverty are at risk of developmental delays due to malnourishment, and these developmental delays limit their future potential. The article concludes by urging that it should be realized that poverty is less widespread than we think.