This is why it feels like the recession never ended, By Christopher Ingraham, August 28, 2014, Washington Post: “Take a look at this chart. It shows everything you need to know about why Americans are still so down on the economy. From the start of the recession in 2007 to today, the average price of the things you buy – clothes, food, housing – has risen by 15 percent. This, in itself, isn’t a problem at all. The problem is that wages haven’t kept pace with that increase. In fact, for all but the top wage earners, real (inflation-adjusted) earnings are actually down over the same period…”
Month: August 2014
Children’s Supplemental Security Income Program
Aid to disabled children now outstrips welfare, By Patricia Wen, August 28, 2014, Boston Globe: “A controversial federal benefits program provided about $20 billion to low-income families with disabled children over the last two years, quietly eclipsing traditional welfare programs to become the biggest source of monthly cash for the nation’s poorest families, new data shows. The dramatic growth of the children’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program has led some researchers to suggest it has simply replaced welfare as a primary source of cash for many families who lost benefits due to the much-touted welfare reforms of the mid-1990s. The expansion also comes amid a growing recognition among lawmakers and policy analysts that children’s disabilities, especially harder-to-assess ones like ADHD, have become a gateway to receive the best government cash benefits available today, and this trend deserves closer study…”
SNAP Enrollment – Oregon
Oregon’s economy would get $500 million infusion if everyone eligible for food stamps accepted them: report, By Bryan Denson, August 28, 2014, The Oregonian: “Oregon’s economy would get a nearly $500 million boost if every person in the state eligible for food stamps took part in the program, according to a study. An estimated 276,000 Oregonians qualify, but don’t participate, in the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to Katie Furia, who serves as SNAP outreach manager for the nonprofit Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon…”