Changes

The term, "poverty" became a dog whistle for "black," and the term "rich" became a codeword for "white." [[Class warfare]] and [[Cultural Marxism]] became the focus in [[public education]].<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/25/us/education-the-mainstreaming-of-marxism-in-us-colleges.html</ref>

The term, "poverty" became a dog whistle for "black," and the term "rich" became a codeword for "white." [[Class warfare]] and [[Cultural Marxism]] became the focus in [[public education]].<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/25/us/education-the-mainstreaming-of-marxism-in-us-colleges.html</ref>

When the "war on poverty" programs began, the number of people who lived below the official poverty line had been declining continuously since 1960, and was only about half of what it had been in 1950. On the more fundamental issue of dependency, the situation was even more clearly improving. The proportion of people whose earnings put them below the poverty level without counting government benefits declined by about one-third from 1950 to 1965.

Dr. [[Thomas Sowell]] observed that "despite the grand myth that black economic progress began or accelerated with the passage of the civil rights laws and "war on poverty" programs of the 1960s, the cold fact is that the poverty rate among blacks fell from 87% in 1940 to 47% by 1960."<ref>[https://www.creators.com/read/thomas-sowell/11/14/a-legacy-of-liberalism A Legacy of Liberalism], By Dr. Thomas Sowell, November 18, 2014.</ref>  The war on poverty increased the percentage of mothers and children dependent upon the federal government to keep above the poverty line. Although the number of dependent people had been declining for decades before the "war on poverty" began, this downward trend reversed itself and had a devastating effect on the black family structure, and black communities overall.

 

The percentage of people dependent upon the federal government to keep above the poverty line increased. Although the number of such dependent people had been declining for more than a decade before the "war on poverty" programs began, this downward trend now reversed itself and began rising within a few years after that program got underway. Official poverty continued its decline for some time, as massive federal outlays lifted many people above the official poverty line, but not out of dependency–the original goal.

Overall federal spending on programs for the poor escalated as eligibility rules for [[welfare]] and [[Social Security]] were loosened, the size of benefits was increased, and unemployment insurance was made more available to more people, and for longer periods of time. The number of people receiving [[public assistance]] more than doubled from 1960 to 1977. The dollar value of public [[housing]] rose nearly five-fold in a decade and the amount spent on [[food stamps]] rose more than ten-fold. All government-provided in-kind benefits increased about eight-fold from 1965 to 1969 and more than twenty-fold by 1974. Federal spending on such social welfare programs not only rose in dollar terms and in real terms, but also as a percentage of the nation's gross national product, going from 8 percent of GNP in 1960 to 16 percent by 1974.

Overall federal spending on programs for the poor escalated as eligibility rules for [[welfare]] and [[Social Security]] were loosened, the size of benefits was increased, and unemployment insurance was made more available to more people, and for longer periods of time. The number of people receiving [[public assistance]] more than doubled from 1960 to 1977. The dollar value of public [[housing]] rose nearly five-fold in a decade and the amount spent on [[food stamps]] rose more than ten-fold. All government-provided in-kind benefits increased about eight-fold from 1965 to 1969 and more than twenty-fold by 1974. Federal spending on such social welfare programs not only rose in dollar terms and in real terms, but also as a percentage of the nation's gross national product, going from 8 percent of GNP in 1960 to 16 percent by 1974.