Late every January – as reliable as the buzzards returning to Hinckley, Ohio each March – the revised Poverty Guidelines are published in the
Tag: Poverty
The social and political costs of the Rio Olympics
Throughout the coming weeks of sport and competition, keep in mind the cost Rio and Brazil are bearing to host us. More than 77,000 citizens
Americans are too charitable
You can tell a lot about a society by what its citizens compliment themselves about. You might also learn a great deal about a
You can be mean and still sound rational
A recent article published here on Occasional Planet stated that the Republican debates last Thursday night were not as much of a clown car
Why is the stock market soaring when the real economy is on its knees?
The short answer is the Fed has been propping up the stock market. And, high stock prices are not always tethered to traditional methods of stock
Inside the mind of a low-income Republican voter
We Democrats keep asking ourselves why in the world poor people vote Republican when it’s the Democrats who build and defend programs that will
What’s the matter with Missouri, and what we can do about it
Back in 2012, the most famous losing candidate in American wanted to be the junior U.S. Senator from Missouri. Todd Akin became late night
Rich Hill: An intimate look at poverty’s impact on kids
On the recommendation of someone who said everyone should see the movie “Rich Hill,” I attended the early show this morning. I hadn’t read
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Poverty & powerlessness, up close and personal
I’ve just read–two years after everyone else–Katherine Boo’s powerful book, Behind the Beautiful Forevers. It won the 2012 National Book Award, and a blurb
Is capitalism really the best economic system?
From the time we were children, we have been indoctrinated to think of capitalism as the best economic system on the planet, synonymous with