At 50, war on poverty yields mixed result http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/01/04/3506646/at-50-war-on-poverty-yields-mixed.html To many Americans, the war on poverty declared 50 years ago by President Lyndon B. Johnson has largely failed. The poverty rate has fallen only to 15 percent from 19 percent in two generations, and 46 million Americans live in households where the government considers their income scarcely adequate. (More at above url)