David’s Reviews > Poverty, by America > Status Update

Struck again by the harshest explanation of why our tax system is exploitative of the poor: _Because we like it._

End ch. 1, "The kind of problem poverty is."

In the chapter "tear down the walls" the author makes the case for ending poverty in America. Stats about how our government expenses and revenues are quite far below this of comparably rich nations. The kinds of benefits in overall safety and mobility we could see. And some of the potential pains we might have to experience during such a significant transition.

In the chapter "empower the poor" are many examples of how control has been wrested from the poor, eg by making it more costly for living because many low-cost homes are bought by landlords and rented to the poor at prices higher than the (monthly) cost of purchasing, how birth control is often beyond their means, etc.

Lots of debunking "conventional wisdom," such as that raising wages would lead to higher unemployment. The argument for this seems logical, since the money previously paid for wages wouldn't hire as many people, but the reality is that companies hire just as many people and just pay them more.