Posted on 01/25/2016 8:33:48 PM PST by BlackFemaleArmyColonel
The Trump phenomenon is driven in large part by working-class voters under economic strain. Republicans are increasingly talking about antipoverty programs as a way to help lift some up.
Well before Donald Trump ever became a political phenomenon, Rep. Paul Ryan told his fellow Republicans that poverty should be a Republican issue.
Now, the Trump rebellion is beginning to make his case for him.
The overarching message of the Trump campaign isn't directed at the usual targets of federal poverty programs, such as isolated pockets of extreme poverty in Appalachia or the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. It targets people who have had good jobs but have lost bargaining power in a global economy.
Polls show Mr. Trump resonates most strongly with the growing precarious middle - those whose parents were firmly middle class but now find themselves in need and at least nearing the margins of poverty.
The result is a percolating conversation among Republicans about how to shore up America's safety net. To Mr. Ryan, now speaker of the House, that means moving federal money out of some welfare programs and into others he says are more effective, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
To Democrats and some advocates for the poor, that sounds like robbing from one class of the poor to give to another - perhaps for electoral advantage.
Yet the shift in Republican thinking was noted by none other than President Obama in his State of the Union address.
"Speaker Ryan has talked about his interest in tackling poverty," he said. "I'd welcome a serious discussion about strategies we can all support..."
Whether they can agree on any reforms is an open question. But Mr. Trump is forcing Republicans to talk about poverty as more than just a target for federal budget cuts.
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
Trump’s answer to poverty is J O B S .
YEP!
Not from Appalachia, but my wife is, and the poverty here, has more to do with very little industry, although there should be massive coal, timber, and stone industries.
government is never the answer to the problems of society, it is the poison that destroys society.
JMO.
If Trump does as this posted article suggests, that would be a large factor for me. Thanks for a very informative thread.
“Government isn’t the answer to our problems, government IS the problem” - some smart dude
gov’t as poison sounds better, don’t you think?
I’ve always thought of government as an emetic.
It is, and for the last eight years (at least) it has been.
government is never the answer to the problems of society, it is the poison that destroys society.
Wise words and very true.
Welcome!
Poverty is caused by Poverty Programs. $20+ trillion and we have more poor people than ever. Somebody needs to get a clue.
Trump will have to use the power of government to roll back the damage that has been done .I live in it and it’s been devastating .
Young men and women, raised properly with a good work ethic, and a next-to-useless education.
Opportunities for good local jobs are few and far between, and those sweet kids aren't prepared to move and lead successful lives.
If the Dept of Ed didn't drain all the resources devoted to education, maybe we could tackle the problem.
Using the power of government . . . that statement is scary indeed. The gov’t caused the problem and now you believe one man will somehow use that same power more wisely to fix the problem the gov’t created.
We need a lot more vocational schools.
Carpenters, machinists, and the like.
The country does not need more Wal-Mart sized companies, it needs a whole lot of small, local businesses.
Come here to coal country and see the devastation . Whole towns are drying up . It will take a Prez to undo the damage and Trump is the only one who gives a damn ... shame on you ... you sound like an open borders shill
That where I live too. And I have seen what you have. But no one man can fix it. It was the government that caused many of the problems; it is not the mechanism to be used to correct the problems.
“Trump’s answer to poverty is J O B S .”
Problem is to Obola’s constituency, a job is an anethema! They’ve gotten the idea that they should be given a “free ride through life” because of “racial discrimination and slavery.” They have “milked” job training programs continually, and in the end, none of the training is “befitting their abillities!” So they are either stupid or lazy, and I’m betting both!
In this case it absolutely is .The private sector cannot roll back the devastating regulations ..
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