I think part of the problem is that our welfare system is also very flaky. Take for example a single mother who isn't working currently which takes in some amou

I think part of the problem is that our welfare system is also very flaky. Take for example a single mother who isn't working currently which takes in some amount of money from SNAP and TANF. If she takes a job immediately of any wage her SNAP benefits go down by some percentage (sometimes it's small but sometimes it's very large as much as 80% as it was for my sister) and her TANF benefits go away immediately. There's no gradient or curve for the sun-setting of the benefits as her income increases. Even the 'workfare' program is a joke because it doesn't pay enough to make sure hypothetical single mother has enough to pay rent, groceries, and other necessities. And I'm not going to talk about daycare but it's clear that's FUBAR by default (it doesn't exist in the US at least as I know of as a benefit). So, if the US were to fix bottom end of poverty it would have to be in restructuring and probably centralizing the dispensation of welfare. I think no state or local government should be involved in the administration of said benefits since the lion's share of the funds come from the US government itself (not from the budgets of the state or local governments). But the chances of that happening is about as good as my chances of winning the Power Ball.