It isn’t surprising to learn that the number of people living below the poverty level saw a massive increase in the US over the past two years. Given that successive administrations, both Republican and Democrat, have continually promulgated policies that have had the opposite of their intended effect for the past quarter century, it is surprising that the poverty figures aren’t higher! What’s more these policies keep getting more radical with each successive administration and their shortcomings are evident to everyone but the policy makers.