The Poverty President

Last night, President Bush said the "whole goal" of his Social Security plan was to make sure " nobody retired in poverty." Bush’s sudden concern about "poverty" is touching, but millions of Americans could use the help before they retire. In President Bush’s first term, poverty rose for three straight years, especially for children. What does the new budget do to address this problem? It slashes programs that provide health care to needy children, scales back on a campaign pledge to increase Pell grants which help low-income kids get an education and cuts job training programs that help the unemployed lift themselves out of poverty. For good measure, the budget also calls for a $600 million cut in the Food Stamp Program, making it harder for more than 300,000 low-income Americans to eat.