poverty

Rep. Louie Gohmert rallied a fawning audience at a Tea Party gathering in South Carolina two weeks ago for his proposal for a massive expansion of federal taxes, a plan based on the right-wing myth that too many Americans lack “skin in the game.”

Not long after the war on poverty initiatives went into effect 50 years ago — and started showing significant results — conservatives went on the attack, attempting to weaken, defund or eliminate many of the policies that were working quite well. Today, led by Marco Rubio, the same Grand Ol' Party is simultaneously claiming its ineffectiveness and the decrease in national poverty.

For years there has been a misguided attempt to curb single mother poverty by funding marriage initiatives that simply are not getting us anywhere. Finally, we’re getting a clue. The question remains, what can we do that is different to help these women transcend living at the poverty level? Because pushing initiatives that fit in a specific “moral” box are not the answer.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, American hasn’t lost the war on poverty. We stopped fighting it. It’s time to take up the challenge Johnson issued 50 years ago. We must not only renew the fight against poverty, but we must fight for jobs, livable wages, and economic growth that benefits all.

Home Depot founder Ken Langone is apparently not happy with Pope Francis. According to Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the billionaire and his friends are "worried" about the recent talk of "poor people" and "inequality" coming from the Pope and are starting to doubt that they should still donate to the church.

Austin has long-been a hotspot for growth in Texas, and has especially seen growth over the past 5 years. But with the continued growth has come some major consequences as well. New data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that the number of Austin children living in extreme poverty rose by 11,000 from 2006 to 2012.

In an Associated Press survey published today, a group of three dozen economists agree that the “growing gap between the richest Americans and everyone else isn’t bad just for individuals. It’s hurting the U.S. economy.”

With more news of strikes in the fast food industry and concerns about low wages in other retail industries, economic inequality continues to emerge as a growing issue heading into 2014. According to results of a new study, there's good reason for concern: Among developed countries, only in Italy and the UK is there less economic mobility than in the U.S.

If you don’t think this SNAP reduction affects you, you’re wrong. Anytime you take money from Main Street, you hurt local economies. Since SNAP funds are used to buy food, a $5 billion loss to retailers and to agriculture industry is reported nationwide. For South Carolina, it is a $93 million direct loss to the economy

Fifty years ago last week, President John F. Kennedy signed the Community Mental Health Act. The law signaled a shift in thinking about how we care for the mentally ill: instead of confining them into institutions, the act was supposed to create community mental health centers to provide support. But studies on the prevalence of mental illness among inmates and the homeless show many patients end up on the street or in jail, instead of served by the treatment centers envisioned in the law.