by the '90s the focus shifted away from the root causes of poverty and instead turned to reducing welfare dependence. >> we have to end welfare as a way of life and make it a path to independence. [ applause ] >> now, the effort to get more people back to work helped reduce the poverty rate around the turn of the century. but it's been on the rise ever since. the latest numbers from the census bureau show that 15% of americans still live below the poverty line. just four percentage points lower than it was 50 years ago. think about that. despite that, though, the ranks of the poor have actually grown from 36 million in raw numbers in '64 to more than 46 million in raw numbers in 2012. a closer look at the numbers show a mixed bag at best. the number of african-americans below the poverty line has been slashed from nearly 42% in 1966. but it still sits at over 27%. thanks to medicaid and medicare,