If you like the website FederalSafetyNet.com you will love the book!
DENVER, January 19, 2019 ― Why are 12.3% of America’s population living in poverty? It’s hard to reconcile that fact, considering that the United States is the world’s wealthiest, most technologically advanced country.
Robert S. Pfeiffer, author of “Poverty in the United States, How We Can Wipe It Out,” answers that tough question, which has plagued economists for decades. More important, Pfeiffer, who has been working closely with the poor for more than 40 years, offers concrete solutions for ending poverty.
We’ve experienced the Great Society, spent billions on government programs, gone through welfare reform, formed thousands of charities and volunteered hundreds of hours, yet “poverty remains a blight on the American psyche,” Pfeiffer said.
So why is poverty so stubborn?
“In our hearts and souls, we know that we can help and should help,” Pfeiffer said. “The troubling question is this: ‘Is our time and money really making a difference?’ Complicating this issue is a massive labyrinth of complex government programs we barely understand. Should we throw our hands in the air and rely on them to solve the problem? We’ve learned that that approach is a cop-out, because the government has barely made a dent at solving the poverty issue. On a macro scale, it is poorly understood and politically divisive. In sum, unlike many social issues, there is little consensus about how we should manage it.”
Pfeiffer knew he could make a meaningful impact on poverty. After evaluating foundations and charities, wading through our national welfare programs and studying the expert’s reports, he strongly believes he could help others focus their thoughts and actions with more confidence and success.
Pfeiffer has not only written a comprehensive analysis of poverty in America, but more important, offers readily available solutions for being better warriors in the war on poverty.
This short, information-rich book ought to be essential reading not only for our government and corporate leaders, but also for every American as well. This is the land of the free, where all should have a home, plenty of food and the opportunity to work hard and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Pfeiffer shows us how we, as Americans, can make that happen.
Do you need a free copy of the book? Go to the contact us page and let us know. We don’t seek to make money on the book but rather to provide education as a public service. Buying the book helps us offset or costs, but feel free to request a book for free (including an electronic version) if it would help you make ends meet!
Book Preview
Foreword
I’m often asked why I got involved in the war on poverty. I grew up in the middle class and never experienced hunger or a lack of possessions. Like millions of Americans, I suffered my share of hard times when I struggled to make ends meet. There is nothing unusual about that.
But I’ve experienced things that made a lasting impression on me, such as knowing the Mexican-American foreman who taught me the construction trade and worked incredibly hard, but couldn’t afford to buy toys for his children. Or watching a roommate in Vail, Colorado, spend the winter skiing on unemployment benefits when there were plenty of jobs available. I’ve watched many of my friends struggle financially. I was lucky, however, because I never experienced poverty.
It wasn’t personal experiences that fired my interest in poverty. Instead it was a desire, a need to give back to those less fortunate than I. Throughout my career I volunteered at organizations that aided the poor and tried to help out financially. I was on the board of a nonprofit foundation that parceled money to charities that helped impoverished people in my community. I went on mission trips to help the poor, volunteered at homeless shelters and food banks, and supported similar causes.
But I can’t say that my experiences with the poor were very different from those of other Americans who felt the same way. The important question is not why I got involved with organizations that sought to help the poor. I knew many people who did what they could. A more important question is why I felt compelled to write a book on the subject. The answer is simple. It’s because I “worked the problem,” for want of a better phrase.
For many years I worked for a CEO who would hand me a complex situation and ask me to “work the problem.” I always had a knack for that and loved doing it. I’m a CPA and self-confessed data nerd. Complex problems — which I love to tackle — are opportunities to research, analyze, simplify and conclude. I went through this process with poverty in the United States because I wanted to understand it and get past any stereotypes I had because they clouded my understanding of the subject. I didn’t know how to reconcile social justice, “welfare mooching,” hungry children, biblical values, enabling dependency, single moms and addiction. What should govern my thoughts and how should I approach this multi-tentacle enigma?
I devoted seven years to researching the subject. I read anything I could find on it, which included scholarly books and countless articles and research papers. I traveled a great deal, which gave me the opportunity to interview many people. I worked with the poor in lots of different capacities. When I finished I wanted to share what I learned with other Americans.
I was not alone in my confusion. An obvious given is that poverty is a blight on the American psyche. That is because a nation as wealthy as ours should not have so many people living in poverty. In our hearts and souls, we know that we can help and should help. The troubling question is this: “Is our time and money really making a difference?” Complicating this issue is a massive labyrinth of complex government programs we barely understand. Should we throw our hands in the air and rely on them to solve the problem? We’ve learned that that approach is a cop-out, because the government has barely made a dent at solving the poverty issue. On a macro scale, it is poorly understood and politically divisive. In sum, unlike many social issues, there is little consensus about how we should manage it.
The good news is that my research cleared my thinking on poverty and pointed me in the right direction. I figured out how the government is approaching the issue, and, more important, I learned how I should spend my time and resources. I learned the difference between comfortable and effective compassion. I was convinced that with the right approach, we, the American people, could have a meaningful impact on poverty. And I strongly believed I could help others focus their thoughts and actions with more confidence and success. I knew I could help us be better warriors in the war on poverty. That is my hope and prayer.
Robert S. Pfeiffer
