NYTimes | Few topics in American society have more myths and stereotypes
surrounding them than poverty, misconceptions that distort both our
politics and our domestic policy making. They include the notion that poverty affects a relatively small
number of Americans, that the poor are impoverished for years at a time,
that most of those in poverty live in inner cities, that too much
welfare assistance is provided and that poverty is ultimately a result
of not working hard enough. Although pervasive, each assumption is
flat-out wrong.
Contrary to popular belief, the percentage of the population that
directly encounters poverty is exceedingly high. My research indicates
that nearly 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 25 and 60 will
experience at least one year below the official poverty line during that
period ($23,492 for a family of four), and 54 percent will spend a year
in poverty or near poverty (below 150 percent of the poverty line).
Even more astounding, if we add in related conditions like welfare
use, near-poverty and unemployment, four out of five Americans will
encounter one or more of these events.
In addition, half of all American children will at some point during
their childhood reside in a household that uses food stamps for a period
of time.
Put simply, poverty is a mainstream event experienced by a majority
of Americans. For most of us, the question is not whether we will
experience poverty, but when.
