poverty

Bennington, Vt's proposed anti-panhandling law may be a possible violation of First Amendment rights — standing in public space and speaking one's mind, even if it's a mind craving help, is the essence of that tenement — but at a town meeting this week, those rights were still in tact. The ensuing showdown between civilian and elected official was one to behold.

On November 1, Texas families receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program assistance will have their benefits cut by an average of 7 percent — or $36 per month for a family of four. The cuts will strip $411 million worth of assistance in Texas and impact more than four million Texans. Over half of which are children.

Americans are beginning to celebrate a healthier future for our country. Millions of people will receive coverage, no co-pays for preventive care, an end to discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, out-of-pocket expense caps, and much more. But one thing seems to be missing from this incredible list of health benefits: abortion coverage for poor Texans.

The Census Bureau reports the number of Americans in poverty stood at 15 percent in 2012. About 46.5 million people, or more than 1 in 7, were in poverty in 2012. That is not statistically different from 2011.

Sam Brownback made a commitment in 2011: to serve the state of Kansas as its governor. It was a commitment to all who live in the state, rich and poor alike. I guess the families to which the governor refers are not families living in poverty, as his promises have translated, in reality, to devastating blows to poor citizens’ survival.

Legal Services of New Jersey issued its annual poverty report, which found that more people in the state had trouble making ends meet in 2011 than at any time since the late 1950s. Some scary stats included in the report: 2.7 million residents living in actual poverty, including 38.5 percent of all children (a number that skyrockets to 79 percent in Camden).

A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service on hunger in America ranks Missouri high up on the list of states where a significant number of people experience serious issues with hunger. Our fair state is in the 7th place (and not in a good way). It echoes a previous report that links corruption to poverty.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) will be one of the keynote speakers at the AFL-CIO 2013 National Convention in Los Angeles from Sept. 8–11. Here are 12 key quotes from her that show why she is a champion of the 99%.

Along with the enactment of welfare reform 17 years ago this August came tougher practices in debt enforcement—which, in many cases, lands the poor behind bars. Not enough is being done to aid those who are trapped in debt to actually realize the self-sufficiency welfare reform claimed to prize.

People worrying about having enough money to pay their bills tend to lose temporarily the equivalent of 13 IQ points, scientists found when they gave intelligence tests to shoppers at a New Jersey mall and farmers in India.