Poverty by the Numbers
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2011-11-10/poverty-numbers
For fifty years, the Census Bureau used a basic poverty measure that did not take into account factors like the local cost of living, tax credits, or safety-net programs. But new numbers released this week, called the Supplemental Poverty Measure, provide a much more complex picture of poverty, significantly changing the numbers for seniors and children. We look at ways this new data may affect policy debates about people struggling to make ends meet both locally and nationally.
Guests
Jenny Reed
Policy Analyst, DC Fiscal Policy Institute
Sheila Zedlewski
Fellow, Urban Institute
Kat Aaron
Project Editor, Investigative Reporting Workshop, American University School of Communication
Comments
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We really need to stop talking about "DC" as though it were an entity set apart from the region at large. There's no reason to argue that "DC needs to do more" if the regional governments in VA and MD are not willing to do more. Compared to MD and VA, we're doing an incredible amount of work to address poverty. We'll continue to do so. But lowering DC's share of poverty at the expense of the suburbs is going to have to happen. And it is happening. And that's a good thing for both the poor and the city.