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The Children Are Starving
On behalf of the millions of children currently living in poverty in the US, allow me to remind you that... well, that there are millions of children living in poverty in the US.
These are uncomfortable statistics. Especially for those who can't fathom any scenario where their own children (or grandchildren) would ever experience anything like poverty.
For most readers, this discussion is akin to certain kinds of conversations you're infrequently compelled to, but would rather not, have with y
Right on, sir! What I don’t understand is how/why half the population of our country would openly oppose any such solution if asked. Of course, a huge proportion of us, of both genders, still feel it’s OK to beat up their female spouses (at least in the privacy of one’s own home) and would attach a biblical justification for the deed. In Independence, MO, something more than 80% of school aged children qualify for full meal benefits under current guidelines. And this is MAGA …..
One of the better H posts. Inspiring, actually. We (the privileged) are either creating, allowing or enabling this to continue. Thanks for the slap in face to get off my lazy bum … truly. As program manager once said, ‘you’re either part of the solution, part of the problem or in the way – take your pick, and i’ll respond from there’.
We are desperately in need of better leadership at the Federal level and probably at many of the state and local levels.
Politicians provide very little detail regarding their platform and what they actually want to accomplish if elected – because what works is saying as little as possible.
We need to have a better quality discussion about the budget and where the government spends the money. Sure, it is available if you look, but few do.
Hopefully, as more Boomers (collectively, whose moral compass always seems to point at themselves) leave political positions. younger generations can address these issues.
Embarrassing that this is the situation.
Time to look in the mirror, individually and as a nation.
Its embarrassing. It shows the lack of a safety net here. What would the poverty rate be if we had universal health care,subsidized child care, subsidized colllege or post secondary internships/education for trades, and a living minimum wage in the United States? I saw an article about what the pay is for a worker at a McDonald’s in Denmark- it was the equivalent of $22 per hour plus social benefits. It is long past time to stop subsidizing Walmart Corp. where they hand out applications for Medicaid to new employees. Some jobs might be lost – but at low levels of wage rates, employment levels are often inelastic versus wage rates- which means the job losses would be much less than the percentage of wage increases. And maybe some of those folks working 3 part time jobs to make ends meet would be better off with one full-time job, no?
A really moving and important article
Thank you
This sort of thing simply doesn’t happen unless people consistently vote against their own interests. I have to admit that now the Dems and Reps are both so ensconced in the same feather bad that there is almost no way to vote for your own interests.
What good is all this wealth if our form of capitalism is purely predatory? Hunger, housing, health care , education, infrastructure and climate change should be our top domestic priorities, in that order…..
I hope your steady drum beat is picked up by others and invades all news media. I especially like that you take on the con which is enabling this problem to persist.
As a start they should have meals for any preschool and school children who need them and carry the meals through the summer when school is out of session. Help for children (and their mothers) between newborn and preschool should be an extension of the school programs.
She added that “children who grow up in poverty have poorer physical and mental health; worse performance in school, and, given neighborhood segregation by income, they are more likely to attend lower quality schools and live in neighborhoods with fewer employed adults.” (I’ve preserved her citations for reference.)
But but but… How can that be? We were told by conservatives that a good kick in the butt would get all those lazy bones to wake up and start working? How could conservatives ever be wrong about that?
We had everything but got unlucky and drew the short straw when it came to the ruling elites we would eventually have.
Let’s call it what it is, a failed nation. We have a ruling plutocracy that looted the continent and its people, we have a very large managerial class, then all the other citizens.
We don’t come back from this. Our state is structural. We haven’t hit the bottom of the trough yet. The years ahead are going to be painful.
But, can’t get depressed over it. By the measure of capture of our politic system by the ultra wealthy, our nation is a resounding success.
Unfortunately, Republicans’ today would block any effort at even discussing “structural” solutions to address this problem, let alone permit even minor “policy efforts”. In their eyes, “Making America Great” really means just for a select few.
The cynic in me believes “The 1%” view is, “Whilst we have an excess population (labour) pool, why waste investment in it’s sustainability?”