Number of Americans Living In Poverty Equals Population of California
WilliamCerf — Mon, 04/13/2009 - 06:42
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The number of American living in poverty equals the population of California, the world’s 7th largest economy. StarPoint Inc. (a Bentonville, AR nonprofit organization that assists the poor) fixes the financial impact of poverty on government at between $290,000.00 and $1.3 million for each person in poverty during that person’s lifetime- a minimum cost of over 10.2 trillion dollars. I found this information in 2004. The numbers may have changed, but the problem persists. I believe it will get far worse before it gets better.
America's Attempts to End Poverty Are Failing
“Generally, poverty is seen as either insufficient markets to efficiently direct individual actions towards economic efficient results (which would produce economic growth) or some non-market institution that is preventing markets from being efficient. If markets were allowed to do their magic, thus generate economic growth, poverty would be substantially eliminated. The faith in markets solving the problem of poverty is why economists and politicians frequently look towards economic growth as the solution to poverty.” (from Ending Poverty in America: The First Step (Draft) by Charles M. A. Clark, Senior Fellow, Vincentian Center for Church and Society, St. John’s University http://www.widerquist.com/usbig/discussionpapers/080-Clark-EndingPoverty...)
Most anti-poverty programs are plagued with excessive bureaucracy and a bewildering array of complicated, confusing, and compulsory rules that render them inaccessible to the people who need help the most. Meanwhile, people who are skilled at manipulating bureaucracies actually profit from these programs. This leads to more rules, more bureaucracy, and more rigidity, which only worsens the problem.