“Being poor is expensive” is an article written by Barbara Ehrenreich and published by The Atlantic. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson showed up in the capital and engaged the nation in a war on poverty. Poverty is increasing rapidly in the United States and something must be done. Johnson firmly believed that he knew the solution to poverty with better schools, better health care, housing, training, and job opportunities. The U.S. government created programs over a ten-year period to help the poor: Head Start, Legal Services, Job Corps, and Medicaid. Johnson was on track to eliminate poverty, but the Vietnam War took its toll on the United States, making it difficult to fully invest in the programs. The author believes that experts and politicians characterize the poor as immobile, irresponsible and prone to dependency. . The poor have no one to blame but themselves because they did it themselves. Politicians create programs to help the poor and the rich also try to help by donating. If politicians believe the poor are to blame, why do they spend so much time and effort on programs aimed at the poor? The author goes on to say that the bipartisan welfare reform plan labels poor single mothers as the cause of poverty. Mothers who stay at home and receive welfare create a bad role model for children and should be supported by paid child care. She tries to make the reform negative, but it is a positive step for many struggling men and women. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources, welfare reform effectively requires work in exchange for assistance after two years of participation in the program. This also includes eligibility for free childcare and medical coverage. The goal of reform is...... middle of paper...... who are actually in need and not wasting their money on getting high or under the influence. She continues with the high fines for truancy, but I don't agree with her either, school is very important and if people don't violate the laws that are provided, they don't have to pay a ridiculous amount for truancy. Simple! She then discusses the imprisonment of people for debt. If the fees were small and simple, I would agree that it is wrong, but if there are people who owe thousands of dollars and this is the only way to wipe out their debt, I would agree . There are a lot of people who find themselves in debt and the only choice is prison and they would be willing to go there. In prison, they will live on free food, clothing and a bed paid for by taxpayers. Prison is a better choice than others who don't feel like they have a way out and commit suicide.