Poverty fell steadily for decades. Until precisely the year the Federal Government decided to eradicate it.

At that point, with the magic money machine gushing forth poverty became too profitable for too many to, you know, eliminate.

The other thing that happened in 1965 of course was a massive reform to the nation's immigration laws.  Immigration that was low and primarily European before grew by leaps and bounds and became culturally more distant.  Think of US policy towards the poor as a pushmepullyou that enriched a certain class of wonky bureaucrats and imported a lot more voters for the wonky bureaucrats.


To one degree or another all state power is a racket but Fed rackets are the Insane Clown Posse of rackets, shorn of resource constraints and therefore by definition, rationality. Because any unconstrained activity or goal is by definition insane.