Year, the phone number is 2027488002. You can catch up with us on social media. On twitter it is cspanwj. On facebook it is facebook. Com cspan. A very good tuesday morning. You can start calling now on this question as we show you some stats on poverty. In 2019, the Poverty Level for a household of 4 with an annual 25,750 or below, the 2018 the latest year where there are federal stats for this range, 500 53,000 americans were considered homeless. In 2017, the poverty rate was 12. 3 . Americans did of not have Health Insurance. We are having this conversation on poverty in america in the wake of a forum in which 9 president ial candidates spoke. It was the Poor Peoples Campaign form and one of them was Bernie Sanders. Here is what he had to say. [video clip] the point is for us to begin to think about what freedom means and in the richest country in the history of the world, half of the people in our country should not be forced to live paycheck to paycheck. 500,000 americans should not be forced to sleep on the street tonight. Millions of workingclass parents should not be forced to lack affordable childcare for their kids. Is about ismpaign not only winning the democratic primary and defeating donald trump. This campaign is about transforming this country, about creating a nation in which all of our people have a decent standard of living. Host senator Bernie Sanders at the Poor Peoples Campaign president ial forum that took place here in d. C. Yesterday. There were 9 Democratic Candidates who spoke. We are asking you this morning for your suggestions about what policies are needed to help the poor in this country. Senator Kamala Harris was another one of the senators that spoke at that forum. Here are the policy provisions she proposed. [video clip] lets talk about Affordable Health care. It is one of the biggest issues we are talking the least about. In 99 of counties in the United States, if you are a minimumwage worker, you cannot afford a one bedroom apartment. What i call the rent relief act. For renters paying more than 30 of their income in rent plus utilities, they will receive a tax credit so they can get through the month paying rent. I also connect it to the issue of what we need to do around equal pay, what we need to do to raise the minimum wage. When we talk about people in poverty, we know the numbers say if you Pay Attention to federal minimum wage, those are poverty wages. Hat is 15,000 a year i also support what we need to do. I was marching with folks a week ago picketing mcdonalds talking about what we need to do to lift the minimum wage at least 15 an hour. But we also need to do is understand that in America Today , almost half of American Families cannot afford a 400 unexpected expense. That can be the car breaks down, a health bill you do nots did not see coming. It can topple the success of that family. Wanted to hear from you this morning, having a conversation about poverty in this country and your suggestions for what federal policies might help. Janice first out of washington on the line for those who make below 25,000 a year. Good morning. Good morning morning. I think they should quit taking away from medicare and medicaid and Social Security and the things people really need that are living that dont have enough to live otherwise. Give to thee to poor. The rich should be lessened because they dont need the money and they are going to overspend. The poor are homeless and not having enough to pay their bills. There is a law in the country that the rich have to help the poor. Not only by the country, but the law of god is the rich should sendthe poor and he would the rich away because it is the poor he loves. Oft lawrence is next out minnesota on the line for those who make over 100,000 a year. Good morning. Caller good morning. Always good to hear your voice. What i would like to see is an emphasis in middle and high schools, and emphasis on freedom , liberty, entrepreneurship, and finance so people can pave a path so they are creating opportunities for themselves and their families so we are getting away from what i would call dependency governance. My fear about dependency governance is it is not building that sense of selfpreservation and human achievement and human dignity. I would like to see more emphasis on what can we do to create a robust economy for small, medium, and Large Businesses . I think that is a better way not just for the broader society, but also the individual. Host do you think the republican tax cuts bill is doing that as something that creates the rising tide floating all boats that you are talking about here . I think there caller i think there are certain elements that say that is a step in the right direction, but i think it has to be broader such that our young people understand what they can do to control their own destinies as opposed to relying on the government to build their prosperity. Host President Trump certainly believes the tax cuts and jobs act was something that helped people across the economic spectrum in this country and included in the tax cuts and jobs act was the idea of opportunity zones, a program President Trump proposed as part of that plan. It was designed to spur investment in economically distressed census tracts. There were some 807,000 areas around the country designated as opportunity zones where there would be a reduction in Capital Gains taxes for individuals and businesses invested in those areas, opportunity zones existing in all 50 states, part of the tax cuts and jobs act, President Trump earlier this spring spoke about the idea and the usefulness of opportunity zones. [video clip] want all americans to share in our great economic renewal. That is why governors in all 50 states and territories have designated 8007 hundred neighborhoods as opportunity zones. 8700. Household income in these communities is 37 less than the in a state as a whole, so 37 down and we are catching them fast. In order to revitalize these areas, we have lowered the Capital Gains tax. All the way down to a fat, beautiful number of zero. [applause] that is why they are looking and saying i dont want to go there. Maybe i dont love the location then they hear about a zero and say, i think i will go there and they start taking the location, right . Host we are hearing from you about what federal policies you think are needed to help the poor in this country. Phone lines split up by income level. On the line for those who make below 25,000 a year. In washington, d. C. , good morning. Theer good morning to cspan listeners. I am a first time caller. Can you hear me . Host yes, go ahead. Recommendation is that defense spending be cut. And some of that money be allocated to affordable housing. I am a 56yearold disabled individual currently residing in d. C. It is a shame before god that in northern virginia, maryland, and d. C. That there are some let so many homeless citizens that were born and raised here and pay their taxes and they dont have a place to live. We also need to stop allowing Illegal Immigrants and people to come into this country as when we dont even take care of our people here. My mother is 82 years old. She lives in subsidized housing and so do i, but when you have slumlords and people on the streets, god is not pleased with that. We need to take care of people who are working class people and pay their taxes and legal no matter what race, no matter what ethnicity, they need affordable housing. I came in on the last part of the Poor Peoples Campaign with Kamala Harris and i like what she said about the 15 minimum wage. I am a former federal Government Employee myself. It is a shame. I am on Social Security disability income. It is a shame Government Programs are set up they need to reform some of the program if i wanted to go back to work 56yearold legally blind woman, i should be able to so i can live a middleclass life in middleclass housing and have the opportunity to afford if i wanted to, a home or a house or a condo. Host what is the trap, what is keeping you from doing that . Caller i like that point. If i go back like i am not ashamed to say this, 1000 dollars a month. If i go back, the ticket to work Program Limits me to how much i can make. Host it limits you to how much you can make and still get that 1000 a month . Caller correct. If they deem aiken work, which i cannot, 12 months a year, then they are going to cut my Social Security income. I am a former pentagon employee. I paid into that. My son is a singleparent. Et me give you an example i have to prioritize and budget. Let me bring the church into this. I am a bible practicing christian. They should be of ashamed of themselves read if people pay their offerings, they need to give back to the poor and help some ofob skills this money with defense and giving to other countries that do not give back i am not democrat or republican, by the i am a former Business Administration major as well. Cut areas of our National Budget and channel that money back into building affordable housing. A stop allowing developers in northern virginia, fairfax, washington, d. C. And marilyn to ford these homes and condos 200000 and 400,000 where people working 2 and three jobs cannot afford that. Host you mentioned homelessness in this country. In 2018, the last year we have official stats from the federal government, some 553,000 americans were homeless in this country. Usa today in their front page story focuses on homelessness in los angeles. Los angeles county, which has been plagued by rising rates saw an an increase in the homeless population. The city of los angeles was up 16 to 58,936, three quarters of whom live on the streets or in cars. Headline Homeless Health is the story. We can show you the front page as we go to lewis in georgia on that line for those who make between 25,000 a year and 100,000 a year. Good morning. Caller good morning. Host go ahead, sir. Caller i wanted to comment if i could on some of the previous statements made. I fully believe the Democratic Party needs to start expanding its tent to include business and corporate america. There are a slew of Small Business owners incorporate American Leadership that do not agree with the direction the country is going. What i mean by that is it is obvious that the Trump Administration has placed its energies to boosting the earnings and wealth position of the 1 or 2 in this country. Many Corporate Leaders do not believe in that. Corporations need to be brought into the discussion regarding the reduction of poverty, the expansion of medical care for everyone, the restructuring of our education structure to include Educational Resources across the board regardless of income from families and, again, that iing of dependency heard from a previous individual on your program. That after world war ii, the United States literally rebuilt europe, literally rebuilt asia toward the beginning of the conflict with hitler, the United States was supplying russia at that time, stalin with billions and billions of dollars of equipment , trucks, machinery, equipment, thattera to assist in effort. This notion of government dependency, and i agree, perhaps there is too much government dependency, but government dependency is important in terms toward theg itself elevation of the American People, particularly low income, low wealth individuals. 400a has been able to turn Million People, almost half a Million People from dirt farmers into the middle class. If china could do it and china was an ally of ours if china can do it, why cant the United States do it . Host this is will in North Carolina on the line for those who make below 25,000 a year. Good morning. Caller good morning. Thanks for taking my call. I have a couple mate a couple suggestions. One major suggestion is a guaranteed minimum income, universal basic income, there is a few different terms for it. Andrew gains is running on a platform where he is in support of basic income. I think if we are willing to do what we ought to do and look at andstatistics and the facts look at what we are being told by looking at i am sorry let me put it this way, when you give people money directly, you get the most bang for your buck, you get the most out of it. The most efficient way for us to spread the wealth that we all participate in in this country is universal basic income. We have taken away manufacturing out of this country, put it in countries where they can be paid lower incomes. Meanwhile, trying to fight for jobs. America is not a jobs country anymore. We are not going to have jobs here. We are never going to do this, never going to help the poor people, never going to get anything done by focusing on jobs and incomes and wages. Those thing can help for people who are working, but we are at a point where we are going to have to put dividends into the hands of everybody. Host that is will in North Carolina. You mentioned andrew yang. He spoke at that poor Peoples Forum in washington, d. C. Here is a bit of what he had to say about the universal income. [video clip] if you have heard anything about me, you have heard this, there is an asian man running for president who wants to give everything everyone 1000 a month. It seems dramatic in 20, but not it, but king fought for thomas kane called it a freedom dividend. This would be tremendous for america. It passed the u. S. House of representatives twice in 1971 and there is one state that has a dividend right now and what state is that . And how does alaska funded . What is the oil of the 21st data, technology, ai, selfdriving crops trucks, what they are doing in alaska with oil money, we can do for everyone in america with technology money. The inhuman nature of our economy is about to ramp up in unprecedented ways. Host andrew yang at the poor Peoples Forum yesterday. The Poor Peoples Campaign as the New York Times notes seeks to draw attention to issues like poverty and systemic racism. It is a revival of the campaign planned by dr. Reverend king junior before his assassination a halfcentury ago. The Poor Peoples Campaign, we noted the poverty rate is about 12. 3 percent, about 40 million americans and they put the number of americans in poverty or poor or low income at closer americans. Ion they use the archer umbrella of levelpplemental poverty and those that live at less than twice the poverty line to define those who are poor or low income in this country. You can read more about them and their campaign on the website where 9 president ial candidates appeared yesterday. Part of the reason we are having this conversation asking what federal policies are needed to help the poor. Yolanda in georgia on the line for those who make over 100,000 a year. Good morning. Caller good morning. What theto know government is doing about the National Lunch program. Some kids get free lunch, but some kids dont. I think we should start where our children are. Our children need to feel like they are all equal to each other. As adults, we already dont and we accepted except we already accept it. Children need to be supported. I dont understand why children need to pay for school lunch. Host ray in west virginia, the line for those who make a low 25,000 a year. Good morning. Caller good morning. Host go ahead, sir. Caller how are you this morning . Host i am doing well. Caller i get a little check from the government. It is not much for it i also have a house payment that comes out of it, electric bill, everything. It is hard to make it on what i get. I am disabled and cannot work. And a 300a month house payment plus electric and. Tuff, it leaves nothing left i thank you. Host what could help you, sir . Caller a little extra money. They can spend it on bringing other people to our country and stuff and i am born and raised here, worked all my life. They should to spend some of it on the American People. I am 63 years old and i had my neck broke and my back broke and i am living on like you say,. Overty i thank you, i just wanted to make it short and sweet. Host thanks for the call. The poverty guideline for those who live by themselves is 12,490 a year. We mentioned those in a family of 4. The Poverty Level if you make 25,750 dollars a year or less. Of those rates set each year by the federal government. Here is what those rates are used for, what programs use the poverty guidelines, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program available to use at 130 of the federal Poverty Level or less. Households must have less than 3500 in assets with an elderly or disabled person. Medicaid is available to families