Topic deserves debate: ranks of those in poverty reaches levels of pre-"War on Poverty"

The Headline from USA Today: The ranks of America's poor are on track to climb to levels unseen in nearly half a century, erasing gains from the war on poverty in the 1960s amid a weak economy and fraying government safety net.

By Kristen Wyatt, AP

Census figures for 2011 will be released this fall in the critical weeks ahead of the November elections...The official poverty rate will rise from 15.1 percent in 2010, climbing as high as 15.7 percent. Several predicted a more modest gain, but even a 0.1 percentage point increase would put poverty at the highest level since 1965

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The Obama and Romney campaigns will have three nationally televised debates in October, 2012. I hope that instead of often less pertinent topics, the increase in poverty receives attention of our Presidential candidates. Both of them.