War on Poverty: What is it good for?

Attacking poverty across state could bring Illinois together, new study suggests

Poverty Motors, an old garage in Peoria: poverty is pervasive across all social groups, and attacking it could unify a divided nation. (Flickr/John Margolies)

By Ted Cox

In spite of a booming economy, poverty is pervasive across all areas, racial groups, and demographics, and is increasing in almost a third of U.S. counties, prompting a new study to suggest that fighting it could bridge the political divide and unify Illinois and the nation.

The nonprofit Brookings Institution drew that conclusion from a new study released by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Drawing on fresh U.S. Census Bureau data released last month, the Pew study found that — in the face of the booming economy and the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years — 30 percent of U.S. counties nevertheless saw an increase in poverty rates between 2016 and 2018.

“There’s a silver lining behind this economic storm cloud,” wrote Andre Perry of the Brookings Institution in response. “Solving for poverty could potentially bridge the racial, geographic, and political divides that are eroding any appearance of cohesion the country may have. Poor people from diverse backgrounds share in a common suffering that we all should be rallying to alleviate.”

According to the new Census data, almost 42 million U.S. citizens live in poverty, 13.1 percent of the population. Illinois fares relatively well by comparison, with a poverty rate of 12.1 percent, but that still means 1.5 million state residents living below the poverty line.

Nationally, 18 percent of children under the age of 18 are being raised in poverty, 13 million total, and that’s 16.2 percent in Illinois, where about 457,000 kids are being raised in poverty.

Poverty is often seen as an urban problem, but as the Pew study points out that’s not the case. In Illinois, Chicago’s Cook County has a poverty rate and a child poverty rate both below 20 percent. By contrast, Illinois counties with a poverty rate above 20 percent are led by Alexander, including Cairo at the southern tip of the state, with a poverty rate of 27.6 percent and 44.5 percent of children being raised in poverty.

Alexander County, including Cairo at the southern tip of the state, has the highest poverty rate in Illinois. Could focusing on such an area of need bring Illinois residents together? (One Illinois/Ted Cox)

Coles County, including Charleston, has a 20 percent poverty rate with 21.8 percent of children living in poverty. Gallatin County in southeastern Illinois has a 20.5 percent poverty rate, with 31.9 percent of children living in poverty. Just to the south, Hardin County has a 20 percent poverty rate and 32 percent of kids living in poverty. Jackson County, including Carbondale and stretching west to the Mississippi River, has a 25.7 percent poverty rate with 28.9 percent of children raised in poverty. McDonough County, including Macomb, has a 21.9 percent poverty rate with 22.9 percent of kids in poverty. Saline County, just west of Gallatin, has a 20.3 percent poverty rate, with 29.7 percent of children living in poverty.

Other counties with high childhood poverty rates include Marion, with a 19.5 percent poverty rate and 30.2 percent of children below the poverty line, and Pulaski, just to the northeast of Alexander, with a 19.7 percent poverty rate and 33.4 percent of children living in poverty.

Of those counties, only Jackson voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and that by a plurality of 47.4 percent, with Donald Trump claiming 44.4 percent.

“For rural areas, economic prospects are bleak,” Perry wrote, adding that after the 2008 recession counties with fewer than 100,000 residents lost 17,500 businesses nationwide. “Although the rural poverty rate has declined from a 30-year peak of 18.4 percent in 2013 to 16.4 percent in 2017, it’s still higher than urban areas, which are at 12.9 percent,” Perry stated. “And productivity in these Republican-voting regions is declining, even in an economy President Trump has claimed is the ‘the best it has ever been.’

“These very real economic differences have inflamed the country’s existing racial and regional divides,” Perry added. “But could they also be a rallying cry for people in poverty across the political spectrum? Instead of focusing on our divides, maybe researchers should emphasize how low-income Americans of all races, geographies, or parties share an economic fate — and should share an economic agenda.”

What if the state committed to reducing poverty across southern and eastern Illinois? The Brookings report suggested workforce development and improving science, technology, engineering, and math education, especially in areas where fossil fuels such as coal mining have historically provided much of the jobs.

It won’t be cheap, as Brookings acknowledged, stating: “This kind of cultural shift requires an unprecedented investment in people. To improve poverty rates, we need massive federal investments in training. But it doesn’t stop there. We need to give entrepreneurs in impoverished areas — who have historically been denied capital — better access to funds. Investments in community colleges can help them develop initiatives focused on training residents for jobs of the future as well as programs that help students deal with the stresses of poverty.”

But Illinois can’t wait for the Trump administration and the federal government to make those additional investments. So what if the state committed to bolstering such programs in rural counties through the additional revenue brought in by Gov. Pritzker’s “fair tax,” which goes before voters in a referendum this fall? Isn’t that, again, something we should all be able to agree on politically?

“Too many people are still suffering in ‘the best it has ever been’ economy,” the Brookings piece concludes. “Things like an illness, a job loss, or the death of a family member all can drag a person — no matter their race or political preference — into poverty today. Combatting poverty is a way to unite the country through a common goal, because after all, we do share a common fate.”

And a common state, as we never tire of reminding people. We are One Illinois.