Poverty Archives - Tennessee Star

Commentary: The Stigmatization of the Ordinary

August 7, 2022August 6, 2022 Admin

Over 60 years ago, we were introduced to the idea of “the two cultures” in higher education—that is, the growing rift in the academy between the humanities and the sciences, a rift wherein neither side understood the other, spoke to the other, or cared for the other. But this divide in the academy, real as it may be, is nothing compared to another great divide—the rift today between our common American culture and the culture of the academy itself.

Connecticut Minimum Wage Not a Guarantee to End Poverty

July 13, 2022July 12, 2022 The Center Square

Employees in Connecticut are now earning a minimum wage of $14, and one industry expert says the wage isn’t enough to support a family.

Connecticut increased its minimum wage on July 1 for the fourth time since 2019. Fred Carstensen, director of the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis at the University of Connecticut, said many of the jobs available are lower-wage jobs that don’t offer benefits such as health care.

Michael Pack, Co-Author of ‘Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,’ Explains the Great American Success Story

July 1, 2022June 30, 2022 Julie Carr

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed co-author of Created Equal, Michal Pack to discuss his new documentary and book about Clarence Thomas’s rise from poverty, radicalism, and ultimately becoming a Supreme Court Justice.

Florida Only State with Passing Grade for Anti-Child Trafficking

December 14, 2021December 13, 2021 The Center Square

Florida ranked first in a nationwide analysis of states’ efforts to combat child sex trafficking.

According to a new report by Shared Hope International and the Institute for Justice and Advocacy, the majority of states, 40 out of 50, and the District of Columbia received failing grades for their anti-child and youth sex trafficking efforts.

Florida was the only state to receive a C grade. Ten states received D grades and 40 states received F grades. No states received A or B grades.

Commentary: Income Inequality in America Related to Deaths

July 20, 2021July 19, 2021 Admin

The top quarter of American income earners can expect to live a decade longer than the bottom quarter, medical research shows. This health disparity seems downright cruel. Not only do those in poverty have to pay more for things like credit and insurance, they also pay more years to the Grim Reaper.

Unlike income inequality, transferring years of life from the rich to the poor is not a feasible option. To find a real solution, we must know what drives the inequity.

Commentary: Combating Global Food Insecurity

June 13, 2021June 12, 2021 Admin

As COVID-19, violent conflicts, and natural disasters persist around the world, an increasing number of people face an additional crisis: food insecurity. Although food insecurity existed in many low- and middle-income countries prior to 2020, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has escalated this global challenge.

Today, according to the United Nations World Food Program Live Hunger Map, an estimated 870 million people live on insufficient food consumption. This figure has increased since 2019, when an estimated 821 million people did not get enough food to eat.

Within the 79 countries in which the World Food Program operates, the number of people suffering from acute malnutrition or worse has doubled to 270 million people since 2019.

Virginia Launches Pandemic-Style Equity Dashboards

May 19, 2021May 18, 2021 Eric Burk

Virginia’s Health Equity Leadership created two new dashboards displaying equity data in a style similar to pandemic metric dashboards. The dashboards display data on current conditions in Virginia and on mitigation efforts.

Commentary: Raising the Minimum Wage Is Not the Answer

May 17, 2021May 16, 2021 Admin

If Joe Biden gets his way, the federal minimum wage will soon more than double, from the current $7.25 to $15 per hour. To quote our commander in chief, “if you work for less than $15 an hour and work 40 hours a week, you’re living in poverty.”

To rehash the minimum wage debate would be redundant. Anyone with business experience should see what’s going to happen. Many small independent businesses, retail stores, and restaurants that pay minimum wage will go under.

Meanwhile, major corporate chains will automate, shedding workers and raising prices, consolidating their grip on every market sector where they’re active. Unionized government workers will automatically get raises because their wages are indexed to the minimum wage—putting even more pressure on government budgets and taxpayers. People in the private sector who have spent decades learning a skill—and as a result can command wages upwards of $25 or $30 an hour—will become justifiably disgruntled, because they will no longer be making much more than minimum wage. The underground economy will explode.

Two Florida Cities Consider Guaranteed Income Policies

April 26, 2021April 26, 2021 Steve Stewart

The guaranteed income movement – which advocates for providing cash to low-income families with no restrictions on how they can spend it – is coming to Florida.

This year the Gainesville City Commission voted to implement a guaranteed income pilot program slated to begin in October. Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe has been part of a national initiative, “Mayors for a Guaranteed Income,” to supply monthly, direct cash payments to people who are struggling. The Gainesville pilot program would begin by giving cash to people with criminal records and who are looking to rehabilitate their lives.

U.S. Sees Largest Rise in Poverty Rate in 50 Years Amid Pandemic

January 27, 2021January 26, 2021 Admin

The U.S. poverty rate saw its sharpest increase since the 1960s as the coronavirus pandemic devastated the economy in 2020, according to a recent study.

The poverty rate increased 2.5 percentage points from 9.3% in June to 11.8% in December, according to the study released Monday by economists Bruce Meyer, of the University of Chicago, and James Sullivan, of the University of Notre Dame, Bloomberg reported. In total, 8.1 million Americans were added to ranks of the poor, according to the researchers.

Commentary: California Is a Cruel Medieval State

March 10, 2020March 9, 2020 Admin

One way of understanding California is simply to invert traditional morality. What for centuries would be considered selfish, callous, and greedy is now recalibrated as caring, empathetic, and generous. The current ethos of evaluating someone by his or her superficial appearance – gender or race – has returned to the premodern values of 19th-century California when race and gender calibrated careers. We don’t pay medieval priests for indulgences of our past and ongoing sin, but we do tweet out displays of our goodness as the penance price of acting amoral.

The Poorest 20 Percent of Americans Are Richer on Average Than Most Nations of Europe

August 27, 2019August 27, 2019 Admin

A groundbreaking study by Just Facts has discovered that after accounting for all income, charity, and non-cash welfare benefits like subsidized housing and Food Stamps – the poorest 20% of Americans consume more goods and services than the national averages for all people in most affluent countries. This includes the majority of countries in the prestigious Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), including its European members. In other words, if the U.S. “poor” were a nation, it would be one of the world’s richest.

Half-a-Million Low-Income Ohioans With Suspended Licences Could Be Eligible for Relief With New Program

February 16, 2019February 15, 2019 Andrew Shirley

For many low-income Ohioans who have lost their drivers licenses for minor or unintentional offenses, there is no greater frustration than paying your debt to society, only to be denied your ability to drive legally because you can’t afford a government fee. Thankfully, relief is in sight for thousands of these…

Commentary: Socialism and the Vicious Circle of Child Marriage

January 21, 2019January 20, 2019 Admin

by Rev. Ben Johnson She was the brightest girl in her class, and 13-year-old Maureen dreamed of an education that would get her out of the poverty that bogged down her hometown of Mudzi, Mashonaland, Zimbabwe. Her parents promised to pay her tuition – but her family hit hard…

Education Policy: 9 Issues to Address in 2019

October 6, 2018October 5, 2018 JC Bowman

Public education is not “broken.” Public education policy is “broken,” and neighborhood public schools are suffering the consequences. Here are nine of the most critical and challenging issues in public education we should address in 2019 in Tennessee.

Will Tennessee’s New Plan To Break The Cycle Of Poverty Only Perpetuate It?

June 19, 2018June 18, 2018 John Bryant

Tennessee is increasingly adopting “a two-generation approach” to fighting poverty, which combines the focus on parents and children when it comes to food stamps and other cash assistance programs. The approach may indeed pay off and is being implemented across more and more states, yet, it still appears to be…

Memphis, Knoxville Among Worst Cities, USA TODAY Says of Towns It Calls Home

June 14, 2018June 13, 2018 Jason M. Reynolds

Media giant Gannett has compiled a list of what it says are the 50 worst cities to live in, and some of the top locations are towns where it operates newspapers, including two in Tennessee. USA TODAY compiled the list using data from 24/7 Wall Street, a website that publishes…

Commentary: Giving Back at Thanksgiving

November 22, 2017November 21, 2017 JC Bowman

Poor and starving people are not particularly appealing news stories, but fighting poverty is and should be a moral imperative for citizens in our cities, state and nation. Educators are often on the frontlines‎.

Commentary: A Rally Cry for School Improvement

May 31, 2017May 30, 2017 JC Bowman

All children in Tennessee deserve an exceptional education. School improvement is only possible when accompanied within a framework of collaboration and support.

Commentary: Changing the Trajectory

May 24, 2017May 24, 2017 JC Bowman

Our economy goes hand in hand with quality education. A strong educational system is essential not only to the successful functioning of a democracy, but also to its very future.

Commentary: All Means All

March 24, 2017March 24, 2017 JC Bowman

Today, with inclusion being the norm, a teacher is given the unenviable task of teaching all students with individualized lessons appropriate for them. In some schools, there may be support from teacher aides or education specialists, but society demands (and rightly so) that each student be given the same opportunities.

Commentary: More Important Than a Test Score

March 7, 2017March 7, 2017 JC Bowman

An engaging and challenging education is the proven path to prosperity and a life-long love of learning. Teachers consistently tell us that “testing” and “preparing students for a test” are among their top concerns in our internal surveys.

Commentary: Poverty & Education

March 3, 2017March 3, 2017 JC Bowman

More than 16 million children are growing up in poverty, meaning that 22% of all children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level of $23,550 a year. Research has shown that children living in poverty have a higher number of absenteeism and dropout rates than those coming from middle class or higher.

Commentary: Killing Public Education

February 22, 2017February 23, 2017 JC Bowman

Bill O’Reilly has gone on quite a killing spree. I think he should also write one called Killing Public Education. Let’s not wait until the autopsy or until Bill O’Reilly writes another book to explain that educators must be given a more active role in determining the policies that concern their students and the teaching profession.