tagged w/ Child Poverty
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The Netherlands, along with four Nordic countries – Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – top a United Nations list released today, which ranks children’s well-being in 29 industrialized countries, while Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain are at the bottom.The Netherlands, along with four Nordic countries – Finland, Iceland, Norway and... more
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It’s just astonishing to us how long this campaign has gone on with no discussion of what’s happening to poor people. Official Washington continues to see poverty with tunnel vision – “out of sight, out of mind.”
And we’re not speaking just of Paul Ryan and his Draconian budget plan or Mitt Romney and their fellow Republicans. Tipping their hats to America’s impoverished while themselves seeking handouts from billionaires and corporations is a bad habit that includes President Obama, who of all people should know better.
Remember: for three years in the 1980’s he was a community organizer in Roseland, one of the worst, most poverty-stricken and despair-driven neighborhoods in Chicago. He called it “the best education I ever had.” And when Obama left to go to Harvard Law School, author Paul Tough writes in The New York Times, he did so, “to gain the knowledge and resources that would allow him to eventually return and tackle the neighborhood’s problems anew.” There’s a moving line in Dreams from My Father where Obama writes: “I would learn power’s currency in all its intricacy and detail” and “bring it back like Promethean fire.”
Oddly, though, for all his rhetorical skills, Obama hasn’t made a single speech devoted to poverty since he moved into the White House.
Five years ago, he was one of the few politicians who would talk about it. Here he is in July 2007, speaking in Anacostia, one of the poorest parts of Washington, D.C.:
“The moral question about poverty in America — How can a country like this allow it? — has an easy answer: we can’t. The political question that follows — What do we do about it? – has always been more difficult. But now that we’re finally seeing the beginnings of an answer, this country has an obligation to keep trying.”
Barack Obama the candidate said he wanted to spend billions on a nationwide program similar to Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem Children Zone in New York City, widely praised for its focus on comprehensive child development. In the last three years, only $40 million have been spent with another $60 million scheduled for local community grants.
Obama’s White House team insisted their intentions were good, but the depth of the economic meltdown passed along by their predecessors has kept them from doing more. And yes, billions have been spent on direct aid to families in the form of welfare, food stamps, housing vouchers and other payments. What’s needed, as Paul Tough at the Times and others say, is a less scattershot, more comprehensive program that gets to the root of the problem, focusing on education and mentoring. Not easy to do when a disaffected middle class that votes says hey, what about us? — and the wealthy one percent who lay out the fat campaign contributions simply say, so what?
Just a few days ago, The Chronicle of Philanthropy issued a report on charitable giving. Among its findings: “Rich people who live in neighborhoods with many other wealthy people give a smaller share of their incomes to charity than rich people who live in more economically diverse communities.” Responding to that study, social psychologist Paul Piff told National Public Radio, “The more wealth you have, the more focused on your own self and your own needs you become, and the less attuned to the needs of other people you also become.”
Those few who dedicate themselves to keeping the poor ever in sight realize how grave the situation really is. The Associated Press reports that, “The number of Americans with incomes at or below 125 percent of the poverty level is expected to reach an all-time high of 66 million this year.” A family of four earning 125 percent of the federal poverty level makes about $28,800 a year, according to government figures.
That number’s important because 125 percent is the income limit to qualify for legal aid, but although that family may qualify for help, budgets for legal services have been slashed, too, and pro bono work at the big law firms has fallen victim to downsizing. So it’s not surprising, the AP goes on to say, that there’s a crisis in America’s civil courts because people slammed by the financial meltdown — overwhelmed by foreclosure, debt collection and bankruptcy cases – can’t afford legal representation and have to represent themselves, creating gridlock in our justice system — and one more hammer blow for the poor.
We know, we know: It is written that, “The poor will always be with us.” But when it comes to our “out of sight, out of mind” population of the poor, you have to think we can help reduce their number, ease the suffering, and speak out, with whatever means at hand, on their behalf and against those who would prefer they remain invisible.
Speak out: that means you and me, and yes, Mr. President, you, too. You once told the big bankers on Wall Street that you were all that stood between them and the pitchforks of an angry public. How about telling the poor you will make sure our government stands between them and the cliff?It’s just astonishing to us how long this campaign has gone on with no... more
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“The amount of poverty and suffering required for the emergence of a Rockefeller, and the amount of depravity that the accumulation of a fortune of such magnitude entails, are left out of the picture, and it is not always possible to make the people in general see this.”
- Che Guevara“The amount of poverty and suffering required for the emergence of a... more
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If the U.S. economy is improving, then why is child poverty in America absolutely exploding? If we are experiencing "economic growth", then why are more than half of all children in major U.S. cities like Cleveland and Detroit living in poverty? If we are the "greatest economy on earth", then why are one out of every four American children on food stamps? The shocking statistics that you are about to read below should absolutely break your heart. Tonight, millions of precious American children will go to bed without any dinner. Tonight, millions of American children will shiver as they try to go to sleep because their families cannot afford any heat. How bad does child poverty have to get before we all finally admit that our economic system is completely failing many of the most vulnerable members of our society? If you want someone to blame, you can blame Congress, the Obama administration, the Bush administration and the corrupt Wall Street bankers. But most of all, blame the Federal Reserve and the debt-based monetary system that the Fed administers. Our economy is in the midst of a long-term decline and is slowly but surely dying. Many of those that are suffering the most from this decline are children.If the U.S. economy is improving, then why is child poverty in America absolutely... more
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Life isn't easy for some of the players at Poly High but, as Coach Lara explains, the community around the team is always there to support the kids when the need arises.
"4th and Forever" chronicles the 2010 football season of Long Beach Polytechnic High School, touted by Sports Illustrated as the "Sports School of the Century" and boasts the largest roster of high school players who have gone on to the NFL. After decades of success, Poly had a down year in 2009. They had their worst season in 15 years and lost to local rival Lakewood for the first time in over 25 years. After years of being pegged as "the team to beat," the aura of invincibility is gone. The players are worried that their hopes for a college scholarship have dimmed. The clock is ticking and the question is: Can Head Football Coach Raul Lara pull the team together for one more season of greatness? And, can the players avoid the temptations of the street, succeed in the classroom, and emerge victorious on the field?
"4th and Forever" premieres Thursday, May 26 at 9/9c on Current TV.
For more, go to http://current.com/4thandForever
Current Media, the Peabody-and Emmy Award-winning television and online network founded in 2005 by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, engages viewers with smart, provocative and timely programming -stories that no one else is telling in ways that no one else is telling them. Current's programming shines a light where others won't dare and boldly explores important subjects -- opening minds, sparking conversations and forming deep connections with its viewers. The channel's audience is comprised of affluent, curious, social and connected adults who crave the kind of entertaining, enlightening, witty and informative programming found on Current's TV and online properties. Current is now available via cable and satellite TV in 75 million households worldwide - 60 million households in the US - through distribution partners Comcast (Channel 107); Time Warner ; DirecTV (Channel 358 nationwide); Dish Network (Channel 196 nationwide); Verizon and AT&T. In the UK and Ireland, Current is available on BSkyB (Channel 183) and Virgin Media (Channel 155), and in Italy, Current is available on Sky Italia (Channel 130). Viewers can also find Current online at http://www.current.com.Life isn't easy for some of the players at Poly High but, as Coach Lara explains,... more
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Did you know that nearly half of the 44 million Americans that are on food stamps today are children? Did you know that more than a fifth of all U.S. children are living in poverty and that a fourth of all U.S. children are enrolled in the food stamp program? Did you know that most of the people that starve to death around the globe are children? In 2011, child hunger and child poverty are major problems in the United States and they are at epidemic levels in many areas of the world. The facts that are you are about to read are tough to stomach and they are meant to break your heart. Most of us need to be touched on an emotional level before we will take action. As I have written about previously, the world is on the verge of a horrific global food crisis. Unless a miracle happens, there is not going to be nearly enough food for everyone in the world in the future. We all need to prepare so that we will be able to feed our own families when that time comes and so that we will be able to be generous and share with others in need.Did you know that nearly half of the 44 million Americans that are on food stamps... more
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YPNation contributor Kate Tighe takes a lesson from A Christmas Carol on giving--as little as she feels she has, the children, and others, she sees each day on the streets of Manila have far less.
http://bit.ly/84jg4S
Here's an excerpt of what she had to say: "It struck me that as I mature—as I become comfortable in the working world, earn more, learn to enjoy the privileges of my salary, eat more, and as I walk past my share of beggars on the street—Dickens' message becomes more and more relevant.
When the Ghost of Christmas Present pulled back his robes to reveal the snarling animal-like twins--the boy, Ignorance, and the girl, Want--I was nailed to my seat with recognition.
Child poverty is more obvious in Asia than in most places in the United States. Children in the Philippines beg at taxicab windows, some carrying babies á la "Slumdog Millionaire."
Often, when I give to these kids, I am told that, at worst, I am funding a mafia that exploits them, and at best, I am encouraging them to play in traffic, which is especially dangerous in Manila.
My argument was that they're just kids, and I want them to feel…good. But of course I know this type of giving is not, in itself, a solution."YPNation contributor Kate Tighe takes a lesson from A Christmas Carol on giving--as... more
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America has some of the industrial world's worst rates of infant mortality, teenage pregnancy and child poverty, even though it spends more per child than better-performing countries such as Switzerland, Japan and the Netherlands, a new survey indicates.
The OECD, a Paris-based watchdog of industrialized nations, urged the United States to shift more of its public spending to its youngest children, under the age of six, to improve their health and educational performance.
The report released Tuesday, "Doing Better for Children," marks the first time the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has reported on child well-being within its 30 member countries.
The U.S. spends an average of $140,000 per child, well over the OECD average of $125,000. But this spending is skewed heavily toward older children between 12 and 17, the OECD survey showed.
U.S. spending on children under six, a period the OECD says is key to children's future well-being, lags far behind other countries, amounting to only $20,000 per child on average compared to the OECD average of $30,000, the survey showed.
"A better balance of spending between the 'Dora the Explorer' years of early childhood and the teenage 'Facebook' years would help improve the health, education and well-being of all children in the long term," the OECD said.America has some of the industrial world's worst rates of infant mortality,... more
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America has some of the industrial world's worst rates of infant mortality, teenage pregnancy and child poverty, even though it spends more per child than better-performing countries such as Switzerland, Japan and the Netherlands, a new survey indicates.
The OECD, a Paris-based watchdog of industrialized nations, urged the United States to shift more of its public spending to its youngest children, under the age of six, to improve their health and educational performance.
The report released Tuesday, "Doing Better for Children," marks the first time the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has reported on child well-being within its 30 member countries.
The U.S. spends an average of $140,000 per child, well over the OECD average of $125,000. But this spending is skewed heavily toward older children between 12 and 17, the OECD survey showed.
U.S. spending on children under six, a period the OECD says is key to children's future well-being, lags far behind other countries, amounting to only $20,000 per child on average compared to the OECD average of $30,000, the survey showed.
"A better balance of spending between the 'Dora the Explorer' years of early childhood and the teenage 'Facebook' years would help improve the health, education and well-being of all children in the long term," the OECD said.
As a result, it says, infant mortality in the U.S. is the fourth-worst in the OECD after Mexico, Turkey and Slovakia. American 15-year-olds rank seventh from the bottom on the OECD's measure of average educational achievement. Child poverty rates in the U.S. are nearly double the OECD average, at 21.6 percent compared to 12.4 percent.
The rate of teen births in the U.S. is three times the OECD average, with only Mexico recording a higher rate among OECD countries, the report said.
Timothy Smeeding, author of "Poor Kids in a Rich Country: America's Children in Comparative Perspective," said America's troubles stem from a flawed mix of government spending and not enough help for the working poor.
"Most of what we spend is for health care, so there is less money to spend on income support programs, to keep the incomes of the poor up. We do spend highly on education - but it's off the charts on health care," he said by telephone from the United States.
Some European countries have public preschools and day cares, for example.
"The parents in Europe aren't as poor. They have universal health care, and it's understood that you have access to health care without recrimination. ... They have children when they're ready," said Smeeding, who also heads the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"A lot of kids born in our country are accidents," he said. "Young women need to learn to wait to finish their education, not have a kid at 18 or 19. And it is these poor, unwed mothers having most of the babies in the U.S."
Among other OECD countries, France, Germany, Britain and Belgium spend more on their children than the U.S., while Switzerland, Ireland, Australia and Italy spend less, according to the survey.
The countries that spend the most on early childhood include Hungary, Finland and the Slovak Republic, which each devote well over a quarter of all childhood spending to children under the age of six.
Britain also spends more than the OECD average on its children, and like the U.S., devotes most of this spending to its older children between the ages of 12 and 17.
But Britain is plagued by high underage drinking and teenage pregnancy rates. British teen drunkenness, as measured by the number of 13 and 15 year olds having been drunk at least twice, topped the charts at 33 percent, far above the OECD average of 20 percent and the 12 percent rate recorded in the U.S...
America, always at the bottom of the list on everything. It will never change.America has some of the industrial world's worst rates of infant mortality,... more
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Thousands of protesters are taking part in what they hope will be Britain's biggest ever march against child poverty.
The Campaign to End Child Poverty rally is calling on the Government to keep its promise of halving child poverty in the UK by 2010.
Supporters are reminding Prime Minister Gordon Brown that he needs to invest an extra £3bn in the 2009 budget to tackle the problem.
The Campaign - a coalition of more than 120 UK organizations - is marching from Trafalgar Square to Westminster in central London.
Campaign director Hilary Fisher said: "Today is an historic day for children across the UK.
"Thousands are to show our Prime Minister how important it is that he listens to our plea not just for a better future for children who are living in poverty but for a better present."
Research published this week by the Campaign found that in 174 of 646 parliamentary constituencies across the UK, more than half the children live in poverty.
It suggested that pockets of the UK were in "turmoil" and millions more children than previously thought were being left behind.
Of the 13,233,320 children in the UK, 5,559,000 - more than a third - live in low-income families or families in poverty.
In his Labour Party Conference speech last month, Mr Brown announced plans for "ground-breaking legislation" to solve the issue by 2020.
At Downing Street today, Mr Brown assured campaigners he would stick to his word.
He said: "One of the great causes of this generation is the eradication of child poverty and I am saying that we will in law make it the duty of Government by 2020 to eradicate child poverty in this country.
"While it is a long haul, we want to show step by step how we can achieve that goal."Thousands of protesters are taking part in what they hope will be Britain's... more
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William, 11, sleeps in an alleyway between two shops in Eldoret town of Kenya's Rift Valley Province, in constant fear of being beaten by police and other security agents.
"The thing I fear the most is being beaten," he said. "Secondly is the fear of going without food and clothes.
"The bad thing is that we are always chased and beaten by government and municipal police," said William, who asked IRIN not to use his real name. "Also when we sleep our things can get stolen ... it's not a safe place for us."
As if on cue, a security guard from a nearby shop approached and hit him twice on the back with his wooden truncheon and kicked him. William and his friends scattered and after regrouping, laughed it off.
"I struggle to find food, but there's nothing I can do about the beatings," he said.
Kenya Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe denied claims that officers were among those who beat up the street children. "We are aware there has been an influx of street children in the town since the post-election violence but allegations that police beat up such children are false," he told IRIN.
"When they [the children] breach the law, all we do is arrest them and hand them over to the Children's Department."
****continues, click link to read****William, 11, sleeps in an alleyway between two shops in Eldoret town of Kenya's... more
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Poverty is the greatest enemy of civilization. Poverty gives birth to the potential to recruit for and mold any kind of evil. Poverty is the greatest enemy of civilization. Poverty gives birth to the potential to... more
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Figures set to be released on Tuesday will demonstrate that the UK government is nowhere near achieving its aim to halve child poverty by 2010. Ministers have insisted the target will not be abandoned. The Child Poverty Action Group estimates the total number of households to be at around 2.9m: the government needs to cut that figure to 1.7m households in 2 years' time if it is to meet its target.
The numbers are expected to show a small rise in the number of children living in poverty, which includes households with an income of 60% or less of UK average earnings. Around £3bn is needed to meet the target.
Nearly 700,000 of the children in poverty are disabled, with six in 10 mothers of disabled children in work.
But polling shows only marginal political support for the idea of eradicating child poverty: 41% of respondents thought there was very little real child poverty in Britain today.Figures set to be released on Tuesday will demonstrate that the UK government is... more
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