Welfare is a Bad Word, but Poverty Keeps Growing

Nov. 19, 2007 — -- Opportunity 08 is an ABC News project with the Brookings Institution to help presidential candidates and the public focus on critical issues facing the nation.

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This week Opportunity 08 takes a closer look at poverty, and how the next president should address the growing gap between the rich and poor in a way that satisfies all Americans.

On Tuesday, President Bush vetoed $150.7 billion in discretionary spending for the Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services.

This and other budget-related battles call into question how much money the president is willing to spend domestically -- a question that becomes especially important in light of the nation's growing poverty rate and inequality.

Poverty overwhelms 13 percent of all Americans and 18 percent of America's children -- rates higher than those in the 1970s.

Brookings Institution experts Isabel Sawhill and Ron Haskins view this as an alarming call to action. Yet, Lyndon Johnson was the last president to focus on the nation's poverty as a key campaign plank or administrative objective.

Sawhill and Haskins see an opportunity for our next president to break this trend and end this plight.

Americans have never liked welfare and tend to believe that anyone who gets an education and works hard can succeed. Policies intended to reduce poverty and inequality must be consistent with these values.

Sawhill and Haskins say their poverty relief recommendations are not free handouts; instead, they say, they would provide the largest benefits to those who work full-time.

"These are the families who are playing by the rules but who do not have the skills to earn a wage that would allow them and their children to join the middle class. As shown by polling data and public support for a higher minimum wage, most Americans want to help this group."