Books in the Opposing Viewpoints Series present debates about current issues that can be used to teach critical reading and thinking skills. The varied opinions in each collection explore aspects of a social, cultural, or political issue. A great deal of money has been spent in this country to eradicate poverty, but the problem remains. Some people quarrel with the definition of poverty, while others think that the situation is worse than is usually represented. The national dilemma of finding a balance between helping those who cannot help themselves and taking over responsibility for those who could be helping themselves is explored in 36 papers organized into the following 5 chapters: (1) "Is Poverty a Serious Problem in the United States?"; (2) "What Are the Causes of Poverty?"; (3) "Why Does Poverty Disproportionately Affect Certain Groups?"; (4) "Why Does an American Underclass Exist?"; and (5) "Can Government Efforts Alleviate Poverty?" Each chapter contains references to periodical articles. A 46-item "Bibliography of Books" is included at the end. Sixteen organizations that can be consulted for further topic are also listed. (SLD)