the Democrats are ignoring American poverty.

[G_j]

Poverty, Hunger and Political Myths
by Robert Kuttner

In their preoccupation with the deficit, the Democrats are ignoring American poverty.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/06/16/americas_hidden_issue_of_poverty/

WBUR, Boston's fine public radio station, has been flogging this promotion: 16 million poor kids, through federal aid, get nutritious breakfasts and lunches throughout the school year. But now it's summer, and school's out. So send WBUR a hundred bucks, and $25 of it will go to a local food bank that feeds kids while the federal money shuts down.

Does this strike you as just a little off? By all means, send WBUR a check. But shouldn't the news staff, as opposed to the development staff, be running with this story? What Scrooge forgot that kids eat in the summer? Where is the Bush administration on this? Why are there so many hungry children, anyway?

By making this appeal part of its fund-raising pitch, complete with heart-rending interviews with adorable kids, WBUR subtly buys into the premise that these children require charity rather than decent public policy anchored in a robust politics. It adds to the depoliticizing of issues that should be part of politics.

And that's the larger story of our dwindling democracy. This election year, once again, issues of social class are pretty much off the table.

..more..

[Padraig18]

1. Our food pantry , soup kitchen and Homework Hangout are all busy

Hunger knows no season, and what knucklehead forgot that people still need to eat during the summer, especially kids? Our community is more fortunate than most, in that our ministerial alliance runs a food pantry, soup kitchen (2 meals/365 days a year) and 'Homework Hangout' (6 days a week, 52 weeks a year) centered around my parish's parish center kitchen, gymnasium and classrooms.

We have got to become realistic about poverty in America, folks. It exists, it's embedded, it's serious and a shameful fact of life in the richest nation God ever saw fit to place upon the face of the Earth.

[PoliticsSportsMusic]

2. No. 1 priority is fighting fascism right now....

after the election people do need to clean up the Democratic party...must be fully committed to the needs of the people over the wants of corporations,certainly they aren't as bad as repugs but we have our own problems. One thing I've got to hand to Bush is a uniter...he has unitied us...grassroots politics is alive again...don't let it die after we take the WH. At the moment,taking back the country from the fascist is the only problem we should be focusing on right now. I'm not kidding on this point....there are very definate corrolations between early 30's Germany and the US today.

[mzmolly]

3. You changed the title it was "America's hidden issue of poverty"

“Bush’s rhetoric does not match his record. The bottom line is, for America’s workers, there is no ‘greater prosperity’ under George Bush. Under Bush, 3 million workers have lost their jobs, 2 million workers have lost their health insurance and 2.5 million workers have slipped into poverty.” -- John Kerry

Clinton had the:

Lowest poverty rate in 20 years
Since Congress passed President Clinton’s Economic Plan in 1993, the poverty rate declined from 15.1 percent to 11.8 percent last year — the largest six-year drop in poverty in nearly 30 years. There are now 7 million fewer people in poverty than in 1993. The child poverty rate declined more than 25 percent, the poverty rates for single mothers, African Americans and the elderly have dropped to their lowest levels on record, and Hispanic poverty dropped to its lowest level since 1979.

We need to have a democratic president if we want to address poverty. With John Kerry, we can have it all. A lower deficit and less poverty.

Take a look at how things were, not so long ago.

http://clinton5.nara.gov/WH/Accomplishments/eightyears-01.html

Compare that list to where we are today. It is clear to me that Democrats not only care about people, but manage our Government better in EVERY WAY.

[Lefty Pragmatist]

4. % of population beneath the poverty line decreases under Dems

and increases under GOP.

Dems have been so active in fighting poverty that we've actually become over-identified with it. To say now that because we are also paying some attention to the middle class means we're "ignoring" poverty is ridiculous.