Jobless in Utah: More Utahns out of work longer, By Mike Gorrell, May 3, 2010, Salt Lake Tribune: “After 10 months out of work, Alleyn Kinney felt completely prepared for a recent job interview, eager to become a state driver license examiner. Amid faint signs of an economic rebound, he had updated his résumé. He had developed his job-seeking and interviewing skills as an enthusiastic participant in a series of Utah Department of Workforce Services workshops. He had prayed to God with all his heart and soul. But two weeks ago, Kinney, 64, didn’t get the job. ‘I’m bummed right now, but I’m not discouraged,’ he said after receiving a rejection note from the Utah Department of Public Safety. ‘I’ll never give up.’ Kinney’s agonizing experience is not that unusual in this painfully deep downturn, which is creating a chronic joblessness unseen in other recent recessions. Impacts might resonate for years…”
Day: May 3, 2010
Editorial: Poverty Measurement in the US
Change the way we measure poverty, Editorial, May 3, 2010 Hartford Courant: “Starting next year, the federal government will take a few baby steps toward changing the way it measures poverty, something that is decades overdue. The government has used its official poverty guidelines to divide the haves and have-nots for 45 years. The income levels decide who qualifies for hundreds of state and federal programs such as food stamps. Any changes – at first, anyway – will just supplement the status quo. That’s too bad, because the income guidelines are inadequate, to say the least. The government yardstick has no more to do with the reality of making ends meet in the 21st century than the price of eggplants. Unfortunately, the measurements not only determine eligibility for government aid; they also shape the debate concerning problems of the poor…”