Red States sponsor Corporate Welfare!
The recent report that 14.5% live in poverty is disinformation. It is and has been much worse (31% for Mississippi children!). That's a sad picture. Speaking of pictures, one is worth a thousand words:
http://myweb.unomaha.edu/...
And this was in 2007! Before millions were fired/laid off!
What's Alaska's excuse, former Governor Sarah? There's black and yellow gold in them thar hills!
And where do the nations poverty-stricken children live? Red States again!
Shout it!
This map shows that when Democrats are in charge, poverty rates decline and when the Republicans are in charge, poverty rates increased. Again, a picture is worth a thousand words:
\http://www.krusekronicle.com/social_indicators_series/
I find this chart an astounding presentation of the pounding America's children received under Reagan's anti-welfare campaign. The spike in poverty, especially for children sky rocketed. Reagan Et Al virtually undid all the progress the Dems had done up until 1980. Nice work, Republicans!
And ask: Why is the highest rate of child poverty found in Republican run states?
In short, in the Red States, with few exceptions, where Republicans have ruled for decades, poverty affects 1 in 5 families and children. The Republicans who slam PUBLIC SAFETY NETS, don't make laws to help the people in their states.
We should all shudder to think about what life would be for their citizens IF they succeed in their full court press to eliminate FEDERAL SAFETY NETS when, in fact,
REPUBLICAN STATES ARE WELFARE STATES!
Shame on Republicans.
These Red States also, in effect, sponsor CORPORATE WELFARE. All those behemoth chain stores and restaurants where the working poor work, pay abysmal wages. Poverty for most is the result of not being paid a living wage. And there's no law against paying poverty wages.
Restaurant workers rely on Federal subsidies to survive:
The report also finds that low wages and lack of job security among restaurant workers leads to
increased reliance on social assistance programs resulting in an indirect subsidy to employers engaging in low road practices and fewer such public resources available to all those in need.
That's Corporate Welfare in my book. The Olive Gardens, Chili's, and Winger's are surviving quite well.
And, no surprise, the highest unemployment rates for the country are found, once again, in the traditionally Republican southern states.
So, drive it home: Red States sponsor the need for social safety nets and Corporate Welfare.
If we let these heartless, corporate shills run this country again, we will also let them impoverish our nation even more than it already is.
And these same Red State Republicans want to reduce the deficit, kill social safety nets (don't forget their record on providing health care for needy children: SCHIP), and extend tax cuts for our nation's wealthiest.
WE HAVE TO CALL THEM OUT ON THEIR DISMAL RECORD
At the very least, frame the discussion. Focus on children. I would hope that the nation's conservative voters who care so deeply for puppies and kitties, can open their hearts to the plight of our nation's children.
Here's more information. Know that the IMF and the Peter P Peterson's want to end social safety nets not just in America, but world wide.
We have to push back. We must stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves.
The number of elderly? The numbers of citIzens, including veterans, WHO CAN'T TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES AND are at greater risk in so many ways IF the deficit is cut when there are no jobs or jobs that pay a living wage? And states are reducing services, too?
Economicide takes on a whole new meaning when even the plight of children at risk is a political 3rd rail.
In case you missed it, The Shock Doctrine death knell was rung today in the Washington Post:
U.S. should cut deficit to spur recovery, IMF says
By Howard Schneider
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 8, 2010; 1:05 PM
The Obama administration is overestimating U.S. economic growth and needs to reduce its budget deficit far more aggressively, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday in a report that targeted Social Security, the home mortgage interest deduction and other politically sensitive policies as ripe for cutting.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
That is a load of crap. The last thing you do when up to 20% of workers are un/underemployed is cut spending. The IMF wants the US to become a zombie economy so it can do what the IMF is designed to do: Control the freakin world and install conservative leaders, even dictators if history remains prescient.
We are all just too Shock Doctrine savvy to take this sitting down.
So deficit reduction it will be. It's America's turn to be the focal point of the World Bank and IMF's stellar Shock Doctrine treatment. Well, our hens are home to roost. It's our karma, I guess. We chose to remain impotent while the American Way of Life was dismantled right in front of us. Why? Those with the power to fight back weren't being hurt. On the contrary, they flourished, or so it seemed with unlimited credit to do and buy whatever we pleased.
Now, will our very own children and/or grandchildren join the ranks of poverty? Perhaps. Things do look that bad. And the real badness is buried deep in reports most will never read, or so I am learning, not front page news.
How will we explain this to our grandchildren? Like this?
"Well, kids, we were too busy at the mall and planning our vacations to notice that the multi-nationals and the banksters were dismantling our freedoms and social safety nets. Our bad. Sorry, kids. No more designer clothes and $5 ice creams for a while, K? And kids, when the uniformed people are paroling the halls at your school or standing at every intersection to keep you safe (controlled), make sure you don't look them in the eyes, do what they say, don't complain, and try your darnest to just blend in. Those who stand out will be dealt with."
Ok, that was an aside. I do have an imagination underneath my factoid presentations.
How many children in America are officially poor?
Rates of official child poverty vary tremendously across the states.
Nationwide, 18% of children live in families that are considered officially poor (13.2 million children).
Across the states, child poverty rates range from 6% in New Hampshire to 31% in Mississippi.
What are some of the characteristics of children who are officially poor in America?
Black and Latino children are disproportionately poor.
10% of white children live in poor families. Across the 10 most populated states, rates of child poverty among white children do not vary dramatically; the range is 8% to 11%.
29% of Latino children live in poor families. In the 10 most populated states, rates of child poverty among Latino children range from 19% in Florida to 34% in North Carolina.
34% of black children live in poor families. In the 10 most populated states, rates of child poverty among black children range from 28% in California to 48% in Ohio.
Where do America's poverty stricken, hungry children live? The map again:
How about the children along the Gulf of Mexico? Their main food source has been wiped out, their parents incomes are gone, the Gulf states had some of the highest unemployment BEFORE the BP Gusher. The Gulf States' children are in for some really, really hard times. And, if not. If the Obama Administration is helping them out THEN FOR HELL SAKES SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOF TOPS.
Or, would doing so be a political 3rd rail?
Would admitting the failure of our federal and state governments to raise children out of poverty put politicians at risk of looking hypocritical? Well, look where the poverty is the greatest (map above) and the unemployment is the greatest (map below). You tell me.
By the way, all the Governors should be asking Vermont and New Hampshire for some advice as these two states are fairing the best for lower poverty and higher employment rates. What's their secrets? The map again:
There is enough empirical evidence out there that America's children are suffering more now than since the depression.
Here are the solutions written by the National Center for Children in Poverty. Deficit reduction is sure to kill them deader than they already are:
What can be done about child poverty?
Child poverty is not intractable. Effective public policies can make a difference. NCCP recommends two major policy strategies to improve the well-being of children and families living in poverty:
Make work pay
Since research is clear that poverty is the greatest threat to children’s well being, strategies that help parents succeed in the labor force can help children. 7 Low earning workers need higher wages, and policies such as earned income tax credits and the minimum wage are critical. Working families also need help with the high cost of basic necessities, such as child care and housing. 8 And many low-wage workers lack access to benefits that higher-wage earners take for granted, such as health insurance and paid sick days.
Support parents and their young children
To thrive, children need nurturing families and high quality early learning experiences. Programs that target families with infants and toddlers, such as Early Head Start, have been shown to improve children’s cognitive development and their behavior, as well as parenting skills. Investments in preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds are just as critical. High-quality early childhood experiences can go a long way toward closing the achievement gap between poor children and their more well-off peers.
Abovel quotes above from this report:
http://www.nccp.org/...
Poverty reporting is not an exact science. There are many disputes. What you read above could be much worse, if the IRS reports are used instead of census data. Whatever.
For those who would like some evidence, enjoy these links:
Unemployment rates from 1920-2008
http://www.infoplease.com/...
States Unemployment rates, April, 2010 a chart
http://www.flickr.com/...
Labor Statistics, Chart and Data
http://beta.bls.gov/...
US poverty greater in 2007 than at bottom of last recession in 2001, new Census data show - A Great Read, btw, even if the Census Data is a bit controversial
http://www.worldhunger.org/...
Home » Health Status » Special Populations
Older Women
http://mchb.hrsa.gov/...
Lots of Poverty Maps (lots of budgets to study poverty). Look for the Poverty continental divide map. Most poverty in Red States, no surprise:
http://myweb.unomaha.edu/...
Maybe if we would spend some of the money used to study poverty to alleviate it, we could make some headway. Poverty seems like a really big industry to me.
Foreclosure tracking:
http://promises.nationaljournal.com/...
Bloomberg: Over 7 million foreclosures in just 2008 and 2009
http://www.bloomberg.com/...
Some 2008 Happy Talk from USA Today
Drop in homeless count seen as 'success story'
http://www.usatoday.com/...
Followed by some reality bites stories. Schools became the voice of homeless children in 2009. They began reporting the spikes:
Student homelessness soars in Oregon schools
http://www.oregonlive.com/...
New York City homelessness soars 34 percent
http://www.cleveland.com/...
Minnesota homeless numbers soar
http://blogs.citypages.com/...
And please stay informed on the machinations of the World Bank, the IMF, and Peter G Peterson and his foundations/works. Mr. Peterson has wanted to change (being kind) Social Security for a very long time. He is like a Michael Moore only hugely richer and more networked/powerful. A force, for sure.
http://www.imf.org/...
Peter G Peterson is driving financial reform
http://www.pgpf.org/...
"Peter G. Peterson sponsors" search results:
http://www.google.com/...
What we all wouldn't give to be a fly on the walls of Summers, Geithner, Paulson, World Bank, and IMF honchos.
The Plight of America's Poverty Stricken Children, a 3rd rail?
Shameful.
