Poor's fate rests with winner
http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/05/news/economy/obama-romney-poor/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- One wants to strengthen the nation's existing safety net. The other wants to overhaul it.
President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney have vastly different views on how to help the 46.2 million Americans in poverty and the more than 30 million people who are near poor. The president leans toward expanding the programs that exist, while the Republicans say they will set up a system that fosters economic opportunity instead of government dependency.
Just who is elected president matters a great deal for the poor. In the weeks following Election Day, the president and lawmakers will have to deal with large, across-the-board cuts in domestic spending scheduled to take effect in January. While certain programs for the poor, such as food stamps and Medicaid, would be protected, other initiatives, including Head Start and housing assistance, could be slashed.
Obama's track record includes increased federal spending to bolster the poor, particularly in the 2009 Recovery Act. Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, are calling for reduced federal spending on poverty programs.
Romney: Republicans, on the other hand, say that throwing money at the safety net fosters government dependency. Instead, Romney and Ryan believe that economic growth fosters upward mobility.