Catholics on the Ball

Catholic Charities USA have published what I think is a really solid policy paper on poverty. It provides some good (although brief) biblical background [Protestants can skip the part about the encyclicals :)] , some great statistical framing about poverty in America, and then some policy suggestions. Especially strong parts of the paper are justifications for the role of government (a response to all the conservatives who insist on primarily private solutions) and some good analysis about what the US is currently doing for poverty (good and bad) and how we stack up against other industrialized nations.

It is a great resource, whether one is just starting to think about the issue of poverty or one is a seasoned veteran on the issue. Check it out:

http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/poverty/downloads/policy06.pdf