Perhaps it was just a poor choice of words on Mitt Romney’s part. Flush with victory after his win in the Florida primary, Mitt Romney appeared on CNN yesterday morning and said this: “I’m in this race because I care about Americans. I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair I’ll fix it.” Taken on its face this could seem like a political gaffe or a tone-deaf critique of the state of America’s working poor. But looked at in another light the statement reveals certain assumptions about the blurry line between America’s middle and lower classes and the welfare programs that help protect some but not others. We want to look at those programs to see where the holes are and to see who gets support.
David Shipler is a Puliter Prize winning writer and author of “The Working Poor.” Also on the air is Alexandra Jarrin who has been unemployed for three years, Alexandra has been on and off social welfare programs while she recently found work selling Comcast subscriptions by commission.