Greg Kaufmann: Expanding Our Definition of Poverty

Greg Kaufmann: Expanding Our Definition of Poverty

Greg Kaufmann: Expanding Our Definition of Poverty

As more and more Americans struggle to get by with low-wage and part-time jobs, it’s time we stop conflating poverty with unemployment. 

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Poverty was the missing issue of this presidential election. Now that the ballots have been cast and Obama re-elected, activists hope it does not remain the missing issue of his second term. Nation blogger Greg Kaufmann joined Marty Moss-Coane on Radio Times to debunk the all-too-common myths about inequality in the United States, like the misperception that everyone living in poverty is unemployed. “If we expand what poverty [means], it’s not about that somewhat arbitrary federal poverty line,” Kaufmann said. “It’s about access to opportunities and an ability to take care of our families and ourselves.”

—Christie Thompson

For more on the widening income gap in the United States, check out Greg Kaufmann's blog, This Week in Poverty.

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