The PBS NewsHour launched a new series Monday, “America’s Safety Net,” taking a long-term historical view of welfare programs (spoiler: there’s not nearly enough of it). Yes, the taxpayer-supported show is advocating for more taxpayer funding of the so-called safety net.
Anchor Geoff Bennett kicked off the series with an overview beginning in 1935 with Franklin Roosevelt signing the Social Security Act, leading to LBJ’s “War on Poverty” launched in 1964. The U.S. government began to measure the poverty rate around then.
Bennett: ….But the measure is widely considered imperfect. For example, some say the poverty line, about $31,000 for a family of four, is far too low….No matter how it’s measured, poverty is often misunderstood, says Cornell University professor Jamila Michener.
Progressive professor Michener really stretched the poverty definition, making it…
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