On page 130 of the reading from the textbook assigned for this week(Lundquist et al. Chapter 4, pages 117-134) there is an interesting chart showing that living conditions for children have deteriorated over the past few decades, while living conditions for the elderly have improved. Samuel Preston, a demographer, has argued that the shift reflects the growing political clout of the elderly in American society. As their numbers have increased, the elderly have become more powerful and have shaped social policies to their benefit. Inspect the chart and describe it using data from it to document your claims. Then tell us how you feel about the transformation in the age distribution of poverty shown in the chart? Do you think it is a laudable trend or do you think it is in the wrong direction? Explain whatever position you take.
