As in any other playoff, candidate rhetoric let loose during the U.S. presidential race can be tough. We’ve held a front row seat to the 2012 showdown for over a year, with tensions still rising as the general election looms nearer. Some of the barbs launched along the campaign trail have been laughable: Newt Gingrich’s television ad incriminating Mitt Romney for his ability to speak French comes to mind. Others are not. The dialogue surrounding U.S. poverty and inequality, two issues that are hotter than ever during a deep recession that the nation has shown incapable of simply shaking off [...]
Government Programs
House GOP plan would cut social programs to protect military
A key U.S. House committee voted to cut social programs such as food aid, health care and social services instead of imposing budget cuts upon the military. One-fourth of the proposed cuts would come from programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, the Social Services Block Grant, and a child tax credit claimed by immigrant... »
Environmental policy: Linking social justice and the environment
Some fear that the benefits of environmentally friendly initiatives largely go to the upper-middle class, while the costs fall heavily on lower income people, who rarely have a voice in discussions about environmental policy. In Massachusetts, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs is holding a series of “public listening sessions” to give those most affected by its... »
States limiting poor’s access to aid
Across the country, states are limiting access to aid programs. In Georgia, applicants approved for aid must take drug tests within 48 hours. The test costs $17, is nonrefundable, and those who fail cannot receive funding for treatment. In California, debate rages over a bill to provide support for low-income women during their second trimester of pregnancy. These... »
GOP plan leaves holes in safety net
OPINION Republican presidential candidates all look to the social safety net as a place to cut spending. The “Repairing of the Social Safety Net” proposes to extend the welfare reform model to Medicaid, food stamps, and other low-income aid programs. Block grants to states would grow much more slowly, leaving states with less money... »
USDA plans statewide projects on free school meals
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service is collaborating with six states on new projects to connect eligible low-income children with free school meals automatically, based on information received from Medicaid. The new process should improve the efficiency and efficacy of free school lunch programs. »
Poverty and Educational Achievement: The Limitations of Instruction-Focused Funding Strategies
The article evaluates a legislative proposal to amend the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to address academic deficiencies. It explains the factors that contribute to significant gaps in academic achievement, particularly household poverty and a lack of access to government financial support. The article discusses efforts by education leaders to develop school... »
San Francisco’s scavengers: A story of gangs, poverty and recycling
Poor and homeless people have taken advantage of the bottle bill provision of California’s Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction measures to earn income by collecting beverage containers for redemption at the Haight-Ashbury Neighbourhood Centre (HANC) in San Francisco. As the recession worsened, middle class and retired individuals, as well as organized gangs, took... »
New Florida laws strip poor of protections
Laws passed last year by the Florida Legislature have torn holes in the poor’s safety net. Among the changes: requiring jobless benefits recipients to file online reports documenting their job searches and shortening the eligibility period in which people can receive benefits. In the first three months after the measures were enacted 65 percent... »
Delays in tax refunds cause hardship
Taxpayers are waiting longer than usual to receive their tax refunds, and a malfunction in the IRS “Where’s My Refund” tool led many to fear their returns had not been filed at all. Even a one-week delay can cause serious hardship to low-income taxpayers who rely on refunds to pay rent or other essentials. ... »
Housing Patterns of Homeless People: The Ecology of the Street in the Era of Urban Renewal
This article examines the political and economic community dynamics of the street homeless and other groups involved in conflicts over urban renewal. Since the postwar suburban flight, homeless people have lived largely in vacated city centers. Now, “not-in-my-backyard” battles over the homeless are increasingly common, as the return of comfortably housed residents brings suburban... »