Can the War on Poverty Still Be Won?

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson made two fateful decisions: First, he dramatically upped America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. And second, he declared an “unconditional war on poverty.” It cost $738 billion inflation-adjusted, 50,000 American lives, and a little over 10 years for America to lose the Vietnam War. Meanwhile, it has cost us over $15 trillion, millions of American lives, and almost 50 years for the United States to effectively lose in the “war on poverty.” Why has the war on poverty proven so difficult? Is “victory” still possible? What l.....