There may be millions more poor people in the US than you think, By Erin McClam, May 3, 2013, NBC News: “It is responsible for an estimated half-trillion dollars in federal spending every year, is hated by nearly everyone who studies it and is based on an American lifestyle older than the space program. Yet the figure known as the ‘poverty line’ is almost certainly here to stay. That’s partly because a more accurate measure of who is poor could add millions of Americans to the rolls — something few lawmakers want to have happen on their watch…”
Day: May 7, 2013
Payday Lending
Payday loans cost economy $1 billion in 2011: study, By Mark Koba, May 2, 2013, CNBC: “Payday loans cost the U.S. economy nearly $1 billion and thousands of jobs in 2011, according to a report from the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. The study says that the burden of repaying the loans resulted in $774 million in lost consumer spending and 14,000 job losses. Bankruptcies related to payday loans numbered 56,230, taking an additional $169 million out of the economy…”
Men’s Employment Programs
Let them work: Men’s work programs give families and communities a leg up, By Mercedes White, May 5, 2013, Deseret News: “During the 40-minute commute to his job at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 28-year-old Greg Walton often takes time to reflect on his blessings. As he drives through the heart of Boston, across the Charles River and into Cambridge, Mass., he marvels at his fortune: a beautiful wife, a healthy 19-month-old son, a home and a good job. It’s an impressive result for a kid who came into the world with the odds stacked against him…”