Poor people can and do work

To the editor:

As the political scene heats up for 2016 elections, the mistaken belief that low-income folks are lazy and looking for a free handout will again be the basis for numerous proposals championed by conservative elements in American politics. The reality is that the majority of people living in poverty can and do work. Here are some recent statistics about people in poverty provided by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI):

' Currently eligible to work: 65 percent

' Not eligible to work: 35 percent

' Of those currently eligible to work, 63 percent do, 37 percent don't

' Of those who don't work, 3.3 million are seeking a job.

The EPI is a non-profit, nonpartisan think tank created in 1986 to promote consideration of the needs of low- and middle-income workers in economic policy discussions. Faced with the above statistics, a common reaction from conservatives will surely be to attack the credibility of the organization that provided them. For those of you who are more open-minded, I hope these numbers will offer an opportunity for pause and reconsideration, if you were inclined to subscribe to the mistaken conservative opinion.

Lawrence Rettig

South Amana