A New Way to Read Numbers

Too often, we think of poverty in America in terms of what it costs the states and federal government in Food Stamp payments, Medicaid benefits, subsidized housing, etc. generally lumped together and described as "welfare" costs. There is a common myth, effectively exploited by many politicians,  that American taxpayers are taken advantage of by those who refuse to do their share.  This gives the pretext of rationality to the actions of some of our elected officials when they opt out of Medicaid, or support cuts to food stamps, and childhood nutrition programs.

But there is a very important point we are all missing if we continue to subscribe to this myopic, manipulative gospel about the government's proper role in aiding the economically disadvantaged.
A Canadian money manager was looking at poverty conditions in the Province of Ontario, Canada.
He decided to quantify the cost of poverty. He came up with some interesting...and staggering numbers. His conclusion? Poverty was costing the province of Ontario roughly $38 billion annually.
He assigned a dollar amount to the increased  demand for healthcare, the loss of revenue from people not in the workforce, paying taxes and contributing to the local economy, and most disturbing, the consequences and the impact on early childhood development and educational performance.
We need to get our elected officials to start looking at the costs, in real dollars, of poverty in America.
More at the link:http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/04/17/poverty_costs_us_billions_fiorito.html