Washblog || Federal definition of poverty is 40 years out of date

Federal definition of poverty is 40 years out of date

By Sarajane46th
Fri Aug 10, 2007 at 02:12:33 PM PST
Section: Diary Topic: Economic Justice

If you want to know why government programs to address poverty haven't been very effective, perhaps one reason is because the official "poverty level" hasn't been touched since 1969, and wasn't very accurate even then. For expert testimony, you can visit the website of Congressman Jim McDermott's House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=detail&hearing=581

Comments from the public are invited until August 15th.
"For the [Congressional]record," here is my comment to the committee: For inclusion in the public record as a comment to the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support:

Many thanks to my Congressman McDermott for addressing this issue. I have worked and volunteered in social service agencies in Seattle for much of the past 10 years. It is always frustrating to hear someone quote the numbers of people below "poverty level," when we know that most social service agencies use "two times the poverty level" as their qualifier for those in need of services. As you have demonstrated in your hearing, the current level is vastly out of date. It sends the wrong message to the voting public, and may create guilt among working class people who know they aren't making ends meet, but who aren't officially "poor." The rational response for public policymakers, as well as the compassionate response, is to change the definition now.

Those who provide services on govemnment contracts are used to "doublespeak" when it comes to definitions such as this. We forget what a bad feeling it can create among voters and our clients. Changing the definition of poverty to match the experience of those who are poor could begin to revive the reputation of government among those who have fallen through the safety net. Thank you for addressing this.

P.S. After you get this one cleaned up, perhaps you could speak with HUD about their definition of "homeless" not including those who are doubled up or sleeping on someone's couch. Last, you can work with the Department of Labor to include discouraged workers in the definition of "unemployed." No wonder government statistics don't match people's experience.

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