U.N. Investigator on Extreme Poverty Issues Grim Report — On The U.S.A.

Philip Alston wanted to know: Just how bad is poverty in the United States? He’s an Australian law professor who in 2014 was appointed as a United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. He contacted the Obama administration before the presidential election to get permission to undertake a fact-finding mission in the United States. The Trump administration honored the invitation. Now, after two weeks of reporting, Alston has released his preliminary findings.

And they present a bleak picture.

The American dream, he says, is an "American illusion." But he did find a few glimmers of hope.

Alston undertook his expedition with a series of questions: "Are those in poverty able to live with dignity? What does a government do to protect those who are most vulnerable?" To gather information, he traveled to Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Alabama; Puerto Rico; and West Virginia. He talked to poverty experts, civil society organizations, government officials and regular people born or thrust into poverty.

In a statement released last week and in an interview for All Things Considered, he shared some of his conclusions. Just who are the poor? Alston says that many of them are children […]

More about water issues in West Virginia region:

Mountain Valley Pipeline cited 5th time by state for violations

WVSU sues Dow over water pollution at Institute campus

EPA researching freshwater mussels as biofilters in PA, MD and WV

Teflon Pollutes The World: Deadly Chemical Spreads Into Global Water Supplies

Citizen Groups Will Sue DuPont and Chemours for Contaminating Drinking Water in North Carolina

Summary
U.N. Investigator on Extreme Poverty Issues Grim Report — On The U.S.A.
Article Name
U.N. Investigator on Extreme Poverty Issues Grim Report — On The U.S.A.
Description
After two weeks of reporting, United Nations investigator Philip Alston has released his preliminary findings. And they present a bleak picture. "The American dream," he says, "is an 'American illusion.'" But he did find glimmers of hope.
Author
Publisher Name
NPR
Publisher Logo