Welfare: Our National Man-Made Disaster
Flint’s families need an income sufficient to meet their basic survival needs in order to overcome this man made disaster.
Children of the Congressmen
Dear Mr. Kingston: Congratulations on your plan to have the destitute children of Georgia sweep their schools to earn their lunches! It is important for kids living in poverty to learn there is no such thing as a free lunch until they become Congressmen or bankers. Of course, since their families are super duper poor, [...]
Selfies by Statesmen
There was something stirring in me as I saw the story of the Obama "selfie" at a state funeral. I try to put my finger on it, but it is evasive. I did not like it. Perhaps it's the joking quality of it. For a moment, before I knew where it had been taken, I [...]
“Help” vs. Income
Some say the problem with poverty is that too much money is given to the poor. Some say that too little is. Neither group is right. If the number the NY Post gives this week is correct, a half a million dollars does sound like a lot of money. The Post wanted to make the [...]
“Doorbusters” and the American Way
I would like to remind people that the term "doorbusters," that is now used widely by Kohl's, JCPenney, and practically every retailer in their advertisements was created after the death of a Wal-Mart worker named Jdimytai Damour in 2008. He died on Black Friday, trampled to death by shoppers who cared about nothing but scoring [...]
Policy leaders out to lunch on food policy and people
I feel great dismay at the Thanksgiving news that Governor Cuomo of New York is giving away $4.5 million to food banks. Even the food bank industry itself has said that the ultimate cost-efficient solution to starving New Yorkers is income and increasing the coverage of the Food Stamp program, as well as increasing the [...]
Food Stamp Bashing, Congressional Edition
by Diane R. Pagen, LMSW The Congressional Food Stamp bashers are at it again. I do wish they would call each other in the morning before telling rooms full of Americans what is wrong with Food Stamp users. In June we heard a Congressman from Texas, Louie Gohmert, say that it’s obvious poor Texas kids [...]
Childhood, Aborted.
In the first 75 years of the 20th century, the United States was really interested in tackling problems affecting children. The federal government consulted public figures. Women spoke of children’s well-being: Eleanor Roosevelt, Lillian Wald, Grace Abbott. Problems like child labor, poverty, juvenile delinquency and malnourishment led to the creation of the U.S. Children’s Bureau, [...]
Of Homelessness, Hospitals and Hurricanes
Homelessness is not just physically punishing, it destroys mental health and goes against everything society believes in.
What young men think
Yesterday I was walking out of the subway station in NYC behind two young men young enough to be my kid (if I'd had kids very young, but still). Their conversation caught my attention, because as is often the case, they were talking about fighting. One was telling the other that a guy he knows [...]