War on Poverty - Evan Granberry

Matthews, Dylan. "Everything You Need to Know about the War on Poverty." Washington Post.
The Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.

The Washington Post article "Everything You Need to Know about the War on Poverty" by Dylan Matthews gives some detailed insight on what the phrase "war on poverty" means and why it is important in the United States. Matthews give a brief description of President Johnson's efforts to relieve the lower class and boost the economy. Johnson signed into law many programs created to reduce poverty in America, and they worked. In fact, "Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, Head Start, Job Corps, VISTA and Title I are still in place today" (Matthews). The major focus of Matthews' article is that government funded programs aimed to tackle poverty have worked in the past, and they continue to work today. The War on Poverty is a winning battle for the United States.

"Everything You Need to Know about the War on Poverty" by Dylan Matthews is an immensely important article in terms of shining some light on government funded social programs. Matthews uses data from the 1960s all the way up to present day to reveal that Johnson's war on poverty programs were very beneficial to the United States. It is difficult for the poor to climb the social ladder into a more fortunate economic class, especially in a capitalistic society. However, the federal government's intervention has been proven to be one of the most helpful ways to achieve a smaller poverty class. Social programs are frowned upon by a large portion of the United States population, but this article shows just how rewarding they can be.