Since the 1964 declaration of a war on poverty, federal spending on anti-poverty initiatives has surged to hundreds of billions annually. While this spending aims to aid low-income Americans through various programs, a significant portion is absorbed by private-sector middlemen rather than reaching the intended beneficiaries. A trend of privatization since the 1980s has led to the emergence of industries that profit from government anti-poverty programs. Badly designed policies have fostered an ecosystem that capitalizes on poverty, with the true beneficiaries often being the contractors and businesses rather than those in need.
The federal government now devotes hundreds of billions of dollars a year to programs that exclusively or disproportionately benefit low-income Americans, including housing subsidies, food stamps, welfare, and tax credits for working poor families.
Most of the money doesn't go directly to the people it's supposed to be helping. It is instead funneled through an assortment of private-sector middlemen.
These entities often take advantage of the very people they ostensibly serve, and many businesses depend on taking a cut of the benefits that poor Americans receive.
I call these industries 'Poverty Inc.' If anyone is winning the War on Poverty, it's them.
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