The Week Ahead: Why has America rescued our elderly from poverty but not our children?

Every other advanced nation has rescued both

I want to present you with something of a mystery. The puzzle underlies much of the last fifty-five years of poverty policy in America. I’ll also take a stab at solving it, and I’d be interested in your thoughts as well. Here it is: Why has America chosen to dramatically reduce poverty among the nation’s elderly but not among our children?

First, a bit …