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Discussion: The poverty for the
elderly in the US is now less than that of the population as a whole.
Child Poverty hit its low in 1969. In 1971, 2 and 3, Congress
dramatically increased Social Security benefits, created the
Supplemental Security Income program, and put the benefits both on
annual cost of living adjustments. At the same time Congress voted
down the Nixon administration's Family Assistance Plan (SSI was the only
part of it that survived) that would have substantially reformed AFDC.
The lesson? Children don't vote.
Question: The US Poverty Rate is
based on the count of persons living in families whose income falls
below the federal poverty line. What effect does the fact that
Food Stamps and public housing benefits are not counted as income in
determining whether or not a family is poor have on the child-elderly
comparison? |
