The share of old people in poverty was higher than the share of children in poverty. Now it's children who are disproportionately likely to be poor. If you look at spending on the elderly, we're actually pretty good. We expanded social security in that reduced elderly poverty. The problem is that we don't see this as a necessary investment in society.
Among O.E.C.D. nations, the U.S. has one of the highest rates of child poverty. Until recently, it looked as if Washington was about to change that. But then … Washington happened.