It has been over 50 years since Lyndon B. Johnson declared a war on poverty in his 1964 State of the Union address. Since then, our nation has failed to eradicate poverty in the United States. Proof of failure is displayed in high poverty rates, an abundance of homelessness, and inflated crime. Poverty rates fluctuate throughout the years, but the overall trend shows a decline. A common belief is that poverty has improved because the previous poverty rate was 19 percent, and now it has decreased to 13 percent (UC). But in reality, more people are living in poverty today than ever before. A study conducted by the US Census Bureau estimated that 43.1 million Americans lived in poverty in 2015 (UC). Comparing this estimate to the 36 million
