"For so long as man has lived on this earth, 
poverty has been his curse. On every continent in 
every age men have sought escape from poverty's 
oppression. Today, for the first time in all the 
history of the human race, a great nation is able 
to make and is willing to make a commitment to 
eradicate poverty among its people."
 

Lyndon B Johnson
Remarks upon signing the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964