1 Byron Pitts, “Half of U.S. poor or low-income,” Census Bureau data, CBS News, December 15, 2011, retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-573343397/census-data-half-of-u.s.-poor-or-low-income/.
2 Annalyn Censky, “How the middle class became the underclass,” CNN Money, February 16, 2011, retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/16/news/economy/middle_class
3 Don Peck, “Can the Middle Class Be Saved?,” The Atlantic, September 2011, retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/09/can-the-middle-class-be-saved/8600/?single_page=true.
4 Jesse Washington, “Food stamp families to critics: Walk in our shoes,” January 26, 2012, retrieved from http://.www.equalvoiceforfamilies.org/2012/food-stamp-families-to-critics-walk-in-our-shoes/;and “Gingrich: Obama Is ‘The Best Food Stamp President’ in American History,” CBS News, January 19, 2012. CBS News reported that “Gingrich has made a habit of calling President Obama the ‘food stamp president’—a nickname he … has often painted [as] the contrast between himself and Mr. Obama as a choice between paychecks and food stamps,” retrieved from http://.www.equalvoiceforfamilies.org/2012/food-stamp-families-to-critics-walk-in-our-shoes/; and “Gingrich: Obama Is ‘The Best Food Stamp President’ in American History,” CBS News, January 19, 2012. CBS News reported that “Gingrich has made a habit of calling President Obama the ‘food stamp president’—a nickname he … has often painted [as] the contrast between himself and Mr. Obama as a choice between paychecks and food stamps,” retrieved from http://mediamatters.org/research/201201190015.
5 Ibid.
6 Judy Mosca, “Poorhouses in 19th-Century America,” helium.com, created July 19, 2009, retrieved from http://www.helium.com/items/1521990-poverty-in-america/.
7 Michael B. Katz and Mark J. Stern, “Poverty in Twentieth-Century America,” America at the Millennium Project, Working Paper #7, November 2001, retrieved from http://www.sp2.upenn.edu/america2000/wp7all.pdf
8 Jerry D. Marx, Ph.D., “Women, Settlements, and the Redefinition of Poverty,” The Social Welfare History Project, date unknown, retrieved from http://www.socialwelfarehistory.com/eras/women-settlements-and-poverty/.
9 Ibid.
10 “Rosie the Riveter: Women Working During World War II,” The National Park Service’s online exhibit of artifacts, photos, and stories of the American World War II Home Front, retrieved from http://www.nps.gov/pwro/collection/website/home.htm/.
11 Katz and Stern, “Poverty in Twentieth-Century America.”
12 Ibid.
13 Michael Harrington, The Other America: Poverty in the United States (New York: Macmillan Books, 1962).
14 Maurice Isserman, “Michael Harrington: Warrior on Poverty,” The New York Times, June 19, 2009; retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/books/review/Isserman-t.html?_|=1.
15 Katz and Stern, “Poverty in Twentieth-Century America.”
16 James Truslow Adams, The Epic of America (New York: Little Brown & Company, 1931 First Edition).
17 Woodrow Wilson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1913, retrieved from www.bartleby.com/124/pres44.html/.
18 David Kamp, “Rethinking the American Dream,” Vanity Fair, April 2009, retrieved from www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/200904/american-dream200904/.
19 Ibid.
20 For more information, visit http://www.metlife.com/individual/life-advice/personal-finance/american-dream-study/index.html.
21 Marisol Bello, “Report: Child homelessness up 33% in 3 years, USA TODAY, December 13, 2011, retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-12/homeless-children-increase/51851146/1; and National Coalition for the Homeless, September 2009, retrieved from http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/veterans.html/.
22 “Poverty in America: A Threat to the Common Good,” Catholic charities Policy Paper, 2006; retrieved from http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/documentt.doc?id=2920
23 Kathryn Edin on research in South Philadelphia; interviewed by Don Peck for “How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America” / March 2010 / Atlantic.com / Retrieved from: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/03/how-a-new-jobless-era-will-transform-america/7919/
24 Julia Cass, “‘Held Captive’: Child Poverty in America,” Children’s Defense Fund, Washington, DC, December 20, 2010, retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/held-captive-child-poverty.html/.
25 Julia Cass interview with Robert Jamison, founder and director of the North Delta Youth Development Center, Lambert, Mississippi, 2009.
26 The National Center on Family Homelessness, “America’s Youngest Outcasts 2010,” December 2011, retrieved from http://www.homelesschildrenamerica.org/whatsnew.php.
27 Children’s Defense Fund, State of America’s Children, 2011 (Washington, DC: Children’s Defense Fund, 2011), retrieved from www.childrensdefense.org; and Patrick McCarthy, Executive Director of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, interview on Tavis Smiley on PBS, August 23, 2011, retrieved from http://video.pbs.org/video/2102593097#.
28 Marian Wright Edelman “Children Can’t Vote but You Can – And Must”Child Watch® Column /October 22, 2010 http://www.childrensdefense.org/newsroom/child-watch-columns/child-watch-documents/children-cant-vote-but-you-can-and-must.html
29 Michael Harrington, The Other America.
30 Richard Nixon, addressing the presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention, Miami Beach, Florida, August 8, 1968.
31 Francis Wilkinson, “Benign Neglect,” The New York Times, June 11, 2008, retrieved from http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/benignneglect; and Adam Clymer, “Former Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan Dead at 76,” The New York Times, March 26, 2003, retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/26/obituaries/26CND-MOYNIHAN.html?ex=10948752008&en=382d07780ef51612&ei=5070/.
32 President Carter delivered his “Crisis of Confidence” televised speech on July 15, 1979; retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/carter-crisis/.
33 Jeffrey Sachs was interviewed October 13, 2011, in “Nothing Moves without Us,” part 4 of the Poverty Tour, on the Tavis Smiley show on PBS, transcript retrieved from http://video.pbs.org/video/2153490649/.
34 Peter Dreier, “Reagan’s Legacy: Homelessness in America,” The National Housing Institute, Issue #135, May/June 2004, retrieved from http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/135/reagan.html/.
35 Ibid.
36 Robert Lekachman, Greed Is Not Enough: Reaganomics (New York: Random House, 1982).
37 Kristin Seefeldt et al., “At Risk: America’s Poor During and After the Great Recession, White Paper, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University –Bloomington, January 2012.
38 Distinguished author Barbara Ehrenreich spoke to present-day attitudes regarding the poor at the “Remaking America: From Poverty to Prosperity” symposium held January 12, 2012, at George Washington University in Washington, DC, and nationally televised on C-SPAN.
39 Peter Dreier, “Reagan’s Real Legacy,” The Nation, February 4, 2011, retrieved from http://www.thenation.com/article/158321/reagan-reallegacy. President Reagan defends himself against charges of callousness, retrieved from reaganyears.tripod.com/reaganquotes.htm.
40 Ibid.
41 Ehrenreich, “Remaking America” symposium.
42 Ibid.
43 “The Smiley & West Poverty Tour Stops at ABC, C-SPAN, and MSNBC,” Rush Limbaugh Show, August 11, 2011, transcript retrieved from http://www.povertytour.smileyandwest.com/2011/08/1846. “The Smiley & West Poverty Tour Stops at ABC, C-SPAN, and MSNBC,” Rush Limbaugh Show, August 11, 2011, transcript retrieved from http://www.povertytour.smileyandwest.com/2011/08/1846.
44 United States Department of Agriculture: Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (P.L. 104-193, 110 Stat. 2105) Aug. 22, 1996 / Retrieved from: http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/rules/Legislation/history/PL_104-193.htm
45 Sanford F. Schram and Joe Soss, “Success Stories: Welfare Reform, Policy Discourse, and the Politics of Research,” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 577, September 2001, retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/pss/1049822.
46 Liz Schott and LaDonna Pavetti, “Many States Cutting TANF Benefits Harshly Despite Unemployment and Unprecedented Need,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, October 3, 2011, retrieved from http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3498.
47 Visit the Website for each candidate—current or former—for a variety of quotable perspectives..
48 Robert Rector and Rachel Sheffield, “What Is Poverty in the United States Today?,” The Heritage Foundation, July 19, 2011; retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/07/what-is-poverty.
49 “Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home at Four Levels, U.S. Average,” U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition and Policy Promotion, July 2011, retrieved from http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2011/CostofFoodJul2011.pdf/.
50 Bruce Watson, “Does It Really Cost This Tea Party Congressman $200,000 to Feed His Family?”, retrieved from http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/0919/does-it-really-cist-this-tea-party-congressman-200-000-to-feed/.
51 On the July 26, 2011, edition of The Colbert Report, Peter Edelman explained why America cannot call the troops home and beat its plowshares back into swords when it comes to fighting the War on Poverty; retrieved from http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/393169/july-26-2011/poor-in-america-peter-edelman.
52 Ilyce Glink, “Tea Party: Don’t Let Renters Vote,” CBS News, December 1, 2020, retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-5055145_162-37143350/tea-party-dont-let-renters-vote/.
53 Tonya Weathersbee, “Tea Party Just Rich Whites Exploiting Poor Ones,” blackamericaweb.com, October 6, 2010, retrieved from http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?=articles/news/baw_commentary_news/22569/.
54 Matt Taibbi, “The Truth about the Tea Party: Matt Tiabbi takes down the farright monster and the corporate insiders who created it,” Rolling Stone.com, September 28, 2010, retrieved from http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/matt-taibbi-on-the-tea-party-20100928/.
55 “Many See Those In ‘Poverty’ As Not So Poor,” Rasmussen Reports.com, August 19, 2011, retrieved from http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/august_2011/many_see_those_in_poverty_as_not_so_poor/.
56 Lymari Morales, “Fewer Americans See U.S. Divided Into ‘Haves,’ ‘Have-Nots,’” Gallup.com, December 15, 2011, retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/151556/Fewer-Americans-Divided-Haves-Nots.aspx/.
57 “45% Say Government Programs Increase Poverty in America,” Rasmussen Report, April 6, 2011, retrieved from http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/general_businesss/april_2011/45_say_government_programs_increase_poverty_in_america/.
58 “Bill O’Reilly, Tavis Smiley, and Cornel West Have Fiery Clash Over Wall Street, Poverty” (video), Roland Martin Reports, October 12, 2011, retrieved from http://rolandmartinreports.com/blog/2011/10/bill-oreilly-tavis-smiley-and-cornel-west-have-fiery-clash-over-wall-street-poverty-video/.
59 Bruce Watson, “It’s Official: Weath Gap Has Turned America Into a Seething Pit of Class Resentment,” Daily Finance.com/January 13, 2012, retrieved from http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/01/13/its-official-wealth-gap-has-turned-america-into-a-seething-pit/.
60 Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States: 1492–Present (New York: Harper Perennial, 2003).
61 The Industrial Revolution, History.com, retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution and http://www.history.com/topics/child-labor/
62 Andrew Gavin Marshall, Robber Barons, Revolution, and Social Control: The Century of Social Engineering, Part I, Global Research.ca, March 10, 2011, retrieved from http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=23639/.
63 See “The Industrial Revolution: child labor, retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/child-labor/.
64 S. Mintz, “Learn about the Gilded Age,” 2007, retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/child-labor/.
65 Stephanie Siek, “King’s Final Message: Poverty is a civil rights battle,” CNN, January 16, 2012; retrieved from inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/tag/Stephanie-siek-cnn/
66 “Beyond Vietnam / A Time to Break Silence” full transcript retrieved from Martin Luther King, Jr. Online: http://www.mlkonline.net/vietnam.html
67 Teresa Tritch, “How the Deficit Got This Big,” The New York Times, July 23, 2011, retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/opinion/sunday/24sun4.html.
68 David Szydloski, “‘The Costs of War’: A Must-Read Study, published by the Watson Center for International Studies at Brown University, September 23, 2011, retrieved from http://inthesetimes.com/ittlist/entry/12001/the_costs_of_war_a_must_read_study/.
69 Ibid.
70 Bill Lyne, “Fortunate Sons and Daughters,” United Faculty of Washington State Blog, November 12, 2009, retrieved from http://www.ufws.org/content/fortunate-sons-and-daughters/.
71 John Glaser, “Billions Lost in Secret Federal Reserve Funding of Iraq War,” retrieved from http://news.antiwar.com.2011/10/25/billions-lost-in-secret-federal-reserve-funding-of-iraq-war/">http://news.antiwar.com">http://news.antiwar.com.2011/10/25/billions-lost-in-secret-federal-reserve-funding-of-iraq-war/.
72 “State of Homelessness in America,” National Alliance to End Homelessness, retrieved from http://www.endhomelessness.org/content/article/detail/3668; and Ellem Bassuk, M.D. et al., “America’s Youngest Outcasts 2010,” National Center on Family Homelessness 2010 Report, retrieved from http://www.homelesschildrenamerica.org/media/NCFH_AmericaOutcast2010_web.pdf/.
73 Stephanie Siek, “King’s Final Message.”
74 “Facing the School Dropout Dilemma,” The American Psychological Association, retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/school-dropout-prevention.aspx/.
75 Julia Cass, “‘Held Captive,” Children’s Defense Fund.
76 Roger Caldwell, “Single parents more likely to be below poverty line, according to Census,” Imperfect Parent, September 17, 2011, retrieved from http://www.imperfectparent.com/topics/2011/09/17/single-parentsspmore-likely-to-be-below-poverty-line-according-to-Census/.
77 Les Christie, “Number of people without health insurance climbs,” CNNMoney, retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/13/news/economy/census_bureau_health_insurance/index.htm
78 Bruce Western and Becky Pettit, “Incarceration & Social Inequality,” The American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Summer 2010, vol. 139, no.3.
79 Alexander, The New Jim Crow.
80 Peter S. Goodman, “Despite Signs of Recovery, Chronic Joblessness Rises,” The New York Times, February 20, 2010, retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/business/economy/21unemployed.html?scp=1&sq=despite%20signs%20of%20recovery,%20joblessness&st=cse
81 Charles Duhigg and Keith Bradsher. “‘Jobs aren’t coming back’ to U.S.,” The New York Times, January 23, 2012, retrieved from http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120123/ARTICLE/301239999?p=1&tc=pg/.
82 Anika Ananda and Gus Lubin, “Iconic Products That America Doesn’t Make Anymore,” Businessinsider.com, November 1, 2010, retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/19-iconic-products-that-america-doesnt-make-anymore-2010-11#ixzz1mBKEsDG7/.
83 For more information about the programs and plans that helped salvage Europe after World War II, visit (1) the Truman Plan, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/marshallplan; (2) the Marshall Plan, Spartacus.schoolnet.com, http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmarshallP.htm/; and (3) What economic conditions existed in Europe after World War II? Answered by Discovery channel, http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/european-economic-conditions-after-wwii/.
84 Jeffrey Sachs on Tavis Smiley, details at endnote 33
85 Jason DeParle, Robert Gebeloff, and Sabrina Tavernise, “Older Suburban and Struggling, ‘Near Poor’ Startle the Census,” The New York Times, November 18, 2011, retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/19/us/census-measures-those-not-quite-in-poverty-but-struggling.html?emc=eta1/.
86 “Number of Workers Living Paycheck to Paycheck at Pre-Recession Levels, Reveals New CareerBuilder Survey, CareerBuilder Press Release, August 11, 2011, retrieved from http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasedetail.aspx?id=pr651&sd=8/111/2011&ed=8/11/2099/
87 Judy Isikow, “The Comeback: Defining the American Middle Class Recession,” ABC World News Special Report, “Ten years ago, health insurance cost American families $979.1 billion per year. Today, America is spending $1.88 trillion … according to Health Affairs, a leading journal of health policy in the United States,” retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/WN/comeback-diane-sawyer-reports-american-middle-class/story?id=10085746/.
88 Ibid.
89 Caroline Ratcliffe and Signe-Mary McKernan, “Childhood Poverty Persistence: Facts and Consequences,” Brief 14, The Urban Institute, June 2010, retrieved from http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412126-child-poverty-persistence.pdf/.
90 Households and Families: 2010 Census Summary File, retrieved from http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412126-child-poverty-persistence.pdf
91 Lorenn Thompson (contributor), “Intelligence Community Fears U.S. Manufacturing Decline,” 2/14/2011, Forbes.com, retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/beltway/2011/02/14/intelligence-community-fears-u-s-manufacturing-decline/
92 Molly Line, “Job Hunt: Blue Collar Workers Struggle Most,” Fox News: Live Shot Blog, March 23, 2010, retrieved from http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/03/23/job-hunt-blue-collar-workers-struggle-most/#ixzz1nd5eEPu6/.
93 Ibid.
94 “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Number of persons participating,” U.S. Department of Agriculture, data as of February 1, 2012, retrieved from http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/29SNAPcurrPP.htm
95 Kimberly Weisul (contributor), “23 who laughed at the recession,” CNNMoney.com, April 28, 2010, retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/fortune/1004/gallery.fortune500_recession_big_profits.fortune/index.html/.
96 Margaret Brennan, Host, Interview with JP Morgan ‘s Paton, Discusses U.S. Food Stamp Use, interview with Christopher Paton, Bloomberg.com video, January 8, 2012, retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-08/jpmorgan-s-paton-says-food-stamps-use-to-keep-rising-video.html/
97 Rolfe Winkler, “Break Up the Big Banks,” Reuters, September 15, 2009, retrieved from HTTP://BLOGS.REUTERS.COM/ROLFE-WINKLER/2009/09/15/BREAK-UP-THE-BIG-BANKS/
98 Emily Walker, MedPage Today Staff Writer, “Health Insurers Post Record Profits,” February 12, 2010, retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HealthCare/health-insurers-post-record-profits/story?id=9818699#.TOJ1iPQiiCs.email/
99 Gary Strauss, “For the wealthy, a return to luxury spending,” USA TODAY, February 21, 2011, retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2011-02-21-1Aluxury21_CV_N.htm#
100 Jessica Silver-Greenberg, “Welcome to Debtors’ Prison, 2011 Edition,” Wall Street Journal, March 17, 2011, retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487043965004576204553811636610.html/.
101 Chris Kirkham, “Private Prison Corporation Offers Cash in Exchange for State Prisons,” Huffington Post.com, retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/14/private-prisons-buying-state-prisons_n_1272143.html/.
102 David Cecere, “New study finds 45,000 deaths annually linked to lack of health coverage,” reveals the Cambridge Health Alliance. Uninsured working-age Americans have 40 percent higher death risk than privately insured counterparts, September 17, 2009, retrieved from http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/09/new-study-finds-45000-deaths-annually-linked-to-lack-of-health-coverage/.