The Great Society saw government as providing a hand up, not a handout. The cornerstone was a thriving economy (which the 1964 tax cut sparked); in such circumstances, most Americans would be able to enjoy the material blessings of society. <span>Others aspects would be the kind of help most of us got from our parents health care, education and training, and housing, as well as a nondiscriminatory shot at employment‹to share in our nation's wealth. </span> <span>Also, but not the cornerstone, was poverty. If the Great Society had not achieved that dramatic reduction in poverty, and the nation had not maintained it, 24 million more Americans would today be living below the poverty level.</span>
