It Must Be Won in the Field, in Every Private Home, in Every Public Office, from the Courthouse to the White House

"Half a century after Mr. Johnson’s now-famed State of the Union address, the debate over the government’s role in creating opportunity and ending deprivation has flared anew, with inequality as acute as it was in the Roaring Twenties and the ranks of the poor and near-poor at record highs. Programs like unemployment insurance and food stamps are keeping millions of families afloat. Republicans have sought to cut both programs, an illustration of the intense disagreement between the two political parties over the best solutions for bringing down the poverty rate as quickly as possible, or eliminating it.
"For poverty to decrease, 'the low-wage labor market needs to improve,' James P. Ziliak of the University of Kentucky said. 'We need strong economic growth with gains widely distributed. If the private labor market won’t step up to the plate, we’re going to have to strengthen programs to help these people get by and survive.'"


Annie Lowery in The New York Times marks the fiftieth anniversary of Lyndon Johnson's declaration of a War on Poverty.