Issue Position: Poverty

Issue Position

In the richest nation on earth, it is unacceptable that over one-fifth of America's children are ill-fed, ill-housed, and ill-educated. Nearly 15 million of our children are being robbed of what should be their birthright. To bring these children out of poverty, we must start by helping parents give their children the necessities of life. For example, we can increase the income of poor families by expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, increasing the minimum wage, and permitting mothers receiving assistance to keep a portion of their child support payments. We also need to increase the availability and affordability of child-care, and enroll more children in Head Start, a program nearly everyone agrees works well. Finally, we must do more to combat teen pregnancy, which is both a cause and a consequence of poverty. America has the wealth and know-how to eliminate child poverty -- we need to find the will. And this is not an academic issue in Southern Indiana. I pledge to be an advocate for children who deserve our help to reach adulthood.

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