Poverty

I read this today in the New York Times. I found it pretty interesting and encouraging.
You can read the whole article here:
www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/washington/02poverty.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin

September 2, 2008
Bipartisan Calls for New Federal Poverty Measure
By RACHEL L. SWARNS

WASHINGTON — Congressional lawmakers and officials of some cities are increasingly calling for an overhaul in the way the federal government measures poverty, arguing that the current definition fails to reflect fully the hardships or resources available to struggling Americans.

The current measure — which is used to calculate the nation’s annual poverty rate — has remained virtually unchanged since it was developed in the 1960s. Democrats and Republicans alike say it is hopelessly outdated, and initiatives to provide a more accurate portrait of the nation’s most vulnerable people have begun cropping up across the country.