“September 7, 2017 the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) released the following statement in response to the release of the report of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking: “Taxpayers deserve to know that the programs they fund are working—especially when those programs are meant to help lift people out of poverty. But too often, Washington measures… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Poverty
Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill
NRDC: “In 2012, NRDC published a groundbreaking report that revealed that up to 40 percent of food in the United States goes uneaten. That is on average 400 pounds of food per person every year. Not only is that irresponsible—it’s expensive. Growing, processing, transporting, and disposing that uneaten food has an annual estimated cost of… Continue Reading
To Protect Vulnerable Populations, Plant More Trees
Nature Conservancy: “…the urban heat island effect—caused by sparse vegetation and heat-absorbing surfaces like asphalt—can result in temperatures as much as 12°C higher than in less-developed areas nearby. While the heat island effect will remain consistent as the climate changes, the additive challenges of higher temperatures and paved cities will make many neighborhoods less livable..,And… Continue Reading
New site focuses on selling food and household essentials for $3 or less
Fast Company – This New Site Sells Food And Household Essentials–All For $3 Or Less “Brandless wants to do away with corporate markups on everyday products, from corkscrews to organic maple syrup…Sharkey and Leffler set out to create a new landing point for a consumer who’s looking for quality and transparency, and eschews brand loyalty… Continue Reading
Climate change impacts are arriving sooner than anticipated
The Uninhabitable Earth – Famine, economic collapse, a sun that cooks us: What climate change could wreak — sooner than you think. New York Magazine – David Wallace-Wells: “It is, I promise, worse than you think. If your anxiety about global warming is dominated by fears of sea-level rise, you are barely scratching the surface… Continue Reading
Decline of textbooks in the digital world causes new challenges
The Conversation: “For decades, textbooks were seen as the foundation for instruction in American schools. These discipline-specific tomes were a fundamental part of the educational infrastructure, assigned to students for each subject and carried in heavy backpacks every day – from home to school and back again. The experience of students is much different today.… Continue Reading
Survey of States With the Best and Worst Economies
The States With the Best and Worst Economies Samuel Stebbins, Thomas C. Frohlich, Evan Comen and Michael B. Sauter,June 27, 2017: “Is your state a drag on the American economy or a boon? The 50 states — as diverse as they are — each contribute something to the U.S. economy. Because of their diversity, state economies… Continue Reading
GOP stalls vote on repeal and replace of Obama health care act
Follow up to previous postings cited in Senate version of House health care repeal and replace bill eliminates coverage for 22 million Americans – tonight via Dan Balz, the Washington Post – ‘Repeal and replace’ was once a unifier for the GOP. Now it’s an albatross. “After seven years, Republicans’ promise to overhaul the Affordable Care… Continue Reading
Books Analyzes How America’s Top 20 Percent Perpetuates Inequality
Boston Review – This essay is excerpted with permission from Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do About It by Richard Reeves, Brookings Institution Press, 2017. “In January 2015, Barack Obama suffered an acute political embarrassment. A proposal from the… Continue Reading
Five Thirty Eight project visualizes 35 years of American deaths from various causes
Search data on 35 Years Of American Death Mortality rates for leading causes of death in every U.S. county from 1980 to 2014. “Researchers have long argued that where we live can help predict how we die. But how much our location affects our health is harder to say, because death certificates, the primary source… Continue Reading
Analysis identifies states where welfare supports least and most families
“24/7 Wall St. reviewed the TANF-to-poverty ratio — which measures the number of families receiving benefits for every 100 families living in poverty — in every state from the Urban Institute. In its May 2017 report, “Why Does Cash Welfare Depend on Where You Live?,” the policy think tank analyzed data from the government and… Continue Reading
Cmte. for a Responsible Federal Budget challenges Trump’s huge spending cuts
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget President Maya MacGuineas said the following: “President Trump’s first full budget was previewed tonight. [America First – A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again] The budget calls for $3.6 trillion of spending reductions and reforms over the next decade. The White House Office of Management and Budget estimates that… Continue Reading
