Category: Poverty
As demand surges, advocates worry food stamps miss eligible families
EDS: An earlier version of this story misstated, in the second graf, the number of SNAP-eligible people who actually received the benefit in 2017. The Census Bureau said one in six who were eligible did not…
As economic suffering grips regular Americans, Wall Street behemoths ready feast of stock buybacks
“We’re going to be aggressively buying back, and consistently,” said Morgan Stanley chief executive James Gorman. by Andrea Germanos, staff writer Friday, January 22, 2021 For millions of regular Americans, the end of 2020 was marked…
8 Million forced into poverty since Covid relief expired in July
As Trump and GOP refuse aid package “It’s really important that we reinstate some of the lost benefits” that were extended as part of the CARES Act, one researcher said. by Julia Conley, staff writer Thursday,…
Tens of thousands attend march in Washington on 57th anniversary of historic Civil Rights rally, today
‘Get Your Knee Off Our Necks’ “We’ve been here before, but this time we know that it is necessary to redefine public safety in order to save black lives.” by Julia Conley, staff writer Friday, August…
Super-sized unemployment benefits are essential in a Depression
by Wade Rathke New Orleans Congress is going back to work. High on the agenda with the clock ticking is the next stimulus bill. Some things are clear. Mainly that the US economy is on its…
Despite surging need amid pandemic, GOP moves to rollback SNAP when food assistance ‘Matters now more than ever’
“SNAP delivered. Like it always does.” by Julia Conley, staff writer Monday, July 20 Pointing to the success of the SNAP food assistance program during the coronavirus pandemic, economists on Monday said Republicans’ plan to end…
Studies detail how poorest saved by Covid-19 Stimulus—and why more Is needed
‘Poverty Is a Policy Choice’ “When you look at the size of the government response, it makes sense.” by Eoin Higgins, staff writer Monday, June 22 Two separate studies released Sunday show that U.S. government…
What the coronavirus crisis reveals about vulnerable populations behind bars and on the streets
by Stephanie Hartwell, Wayne State University; Ijeoma Nnodim Opara, Wayne State University, and Sheryl Kubiak, Wayne State University The notion that COVID-19 is an equal opportunity killer has crumbled. The health and economic fallout from…
Mississippi’s Politicians and Powerful are the Real Welfare Queens
by Wade Rathke Greenville, Mississippi In the ongoing conservative war against the poor, welfare or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) spending was converted to a block grant program, allowing states, purportedly, to design their own…
Coronavirus put her out of work, then debt collectors Froze her savings account
Kim Boatswain’s tax refund could have helped her get through the coronavirus slowdown. But debt collectors seized it. There are few options for Texans like Boatswain whose money was taken just before the state temporarily banned…
The poor and workers are being hammered
Pearl River As the economic numbers become more stark, and the economy teeters towards something closer to a depression than a recession, the impact on workers and the poor that has been hidden in plain…
Early data shows African Americans Have contracted and died of coronavirus at an alarming rate
No, the coronavirus is not an “equalizer.” Black people are being infected and dying at higher rates. Here’s what Milwaukee is doing about it — and why governments need to start releasing data on the race…
How SNAP can help people during hard economic times
by Tracy Roof, University of Richmond A record number of Americans are seeing their hours cut or losing their jobs due to the initial economic repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic. How will millions of newly jobless…
Civil Rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson endorses Bernie Sanders for President
‘Our Needs Are Not Moderate’ “The most progressive social and economic path gives us the best chance to catch up and Senator Bernie Sanders represents the most progressive path.” “With the exception of Native Americans, African…
Democratic candidates seek a big and unprecedented K-12 funding boost
David S. Knight, University of Washington Democratic presidential candidates are proposing new approaches to the federal government’s role in public education. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders want to triple the US$15 billion…
Scaling back SNAP for self-reliance clashes with the original goals of food stamps
The Trump administration is also seeking to take more executive actions that would cut back the eligibility of some elderly, disabled and working poor households. All told, these measures could affect up to 10 million people….
Learning from King’s last campaign
Before he died, Martin Luther King, Jr. joined a campaign to unify working people of all races. Today, nothing could be more powerful. Before he died, Martin Luther King, Jr. joined a campaign to unify working…
3 ways HUD is using regulatory attacks to dismantle fair housing protections
More than 50 years after the passage of the Fair Housing Act (FHA), the ultimate goal of the law—to eliminate all forms of housing discrimination and end residential segregation—is still far from reach. By Areeba Haider…
Fight for $15 is fight for 14 euros in Europe
Amsterdam In the second meeting of what we are now calling the “The Organizing Forum” or TOF, which I choose to pronounce as TOUGH, more than forty organizers from the Netherlands, France, Brussels, the United Kingdom,…
Turning gray and into the red: The true cost of growing old in America
Are you economically ready for old age? Shutterstock Jan Mutchler, University of Massachusetts Boston The U.S. population is aging at such a rate that within a few years, older Americans will outnumber the country’s children for…
“Power and Respect for the Working Class”
New Orleans I’m sorry, but whenever there’s a subhead in the Wall Street Journal in bold, italics heralding “Power and Respect for the Working Class,” it’s a signal that we have to pay special attention to…
The issue at Parchman Prison is bad conditions not cellphones
Amsterdam If Parchman Prison in the fertile Mississippi River delta of Sunflower County is in the news, it means there’s bad news, never good news. Parchman is the only men’s state prison in Mississippi. Parchman is…
