To the Editor:
“Poverty Is Poison,” by Paul Krugman (column, Feb. 18),
echoes what members of Congress heard at a national summit meeting about child
development that Democrats convened last year. Children who grow up in poverty
have a much lower chance of success in school and in life, but investments in
early childhood development help to even the odds, offering hope and
opportunity where little existed before.
The despair that poverty brings to millions of American
children compels us to take a serious and sustained national approach. Last
year’s bipartisan revamping of the Head Start program to focus on early
intervention was huge progress; now we need to do the hard work of making sure
this important initiative is financed.
Other solutions can be found in our tax policy — we can
reward parents struggling to lift their families out of poverty.
Democrats insisted that the recent economic stimulus package
include rebate checks for 35 million families who work but earn too little to
pay federal income tax, and we included additional benefits for families with
children. The approach of these recovery rebates is similar to that of the
Earned Income Tax Credit, which is widely recognized as one of
Poverty is indeed poison — to the children who fall prey to
it, and to the future strength of our nation. With a singularity of purpose,
Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
