The statistics on poverty in America are stark—“Nearly 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 25 and 60 will experience a year in poverty at some point” and extreme poverty is on the rise—but there are positive signs, too—the number of people living in poverty dropped by 3.5 million in 2015. Hillary Clinton cites these numbers in a New York Times op-ed introducing her plans for tackling poverty, and as she points out, that last number makes clear that policy can make a difference.
And this is Hillary Clinton. She has policy ideas. Good jobs are first, of course—there’s no better way to make people not poor than to create jobs that pay above-poverty wages. Which also means raising the minimum wage, and making equal pay for women a reality. But there’s more. Affordable housing:
My plan would expand Low Income Housing Tax Credits in high-cost areas to increase our affordable housing supply, and fuel broader community development. So if you are a family living in an expensive city, you would be able to find an affordable place to call home and have access to the transportation you need to get to good jobs and quality schools.
The childcare program Clinton already unveiled, guaranteeing that no family will spend more than 10 percent of its income on childcare, is an important anti-poverty program. Paid family leave is on the list, too. But while those proposals would help a broad swath of American workers, from poor to upper middle class, Clinton also has proposals targeted more specifically at poverty:
Tim Kaine and I will model our anti-poverty strategy on Congressman Jim Clyburn’s 10-20-30 plan, directing 10 percent of federal investments to communities where 20 percent of the population has been living below the poverty line for 30 years. And we’ll put special emphasis on minority communities that have been held back for too long by barriers of systemic racism.
Donald Trump? Well, even if he wanted to take on poverty, he wouldn’t have a plan beyond making America great again and building a wall, because Trump does not do policy. But safe to say Donald Trump doesn’t give a damn about poor people.
Can you spare $1 for a candidate who'll make sure more of us have more than $1 to spare?
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