Barr fighting poverty with new ideas

Robert W. Shaffer’s recent op-ed, “War on Poverty a clear asset, despite opposition,” attacks our Congressman Andy Barr as being opposed to the War on Poverty.

There is only one problem: Barr is not opposed to the War on Poverty. In fact, he is the only one actually trying to have a discussion about how we can do better as a country to fight the underlying causes of poverty.

No one can claim the 50 years of the War on Poverty and all of the money spent has solved this problem — especially not in Eastern Kentucky and in areas affected by urban poverty.

Rather than attacking him with false accusations, I would hope more people would join Barr in looking at how we can make these programs better. Something has to be done, and we need to approach this situation in a new and creative way.

I believe Barr has the heart and optimism to explore creative solutions to finally enable folks to get themselves out of the cycle of poverty.

This story was originally published September 22, 2016 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Barr fighting poverty with new ideas."