| There
seems to be a convergence of thinking around
poverty in America. A recent release of census data shows
that in 2005, the gap between rich and poor continued
to widen in America, leaving more of us than ever feeling
the economic vulnerability that comes of high health care
costs, inflated housing, and rental prices, and an economy
where it seems that all of us are working more and more
while having less to show for it.
The May issue of The American Prospect is
a special issue on poverty and outlines some of the
best thinking available on how to address the structural
realities of poverty in the United States.
Not since the Great Depression have
so many Americans felt the effects of an economic system
that has ceased to serve the needs of the many. We are
advised to stop talking so much about the needs of special
populations and to start talking about the need for
change that we all hold in common: health care reform,
a strengthened education system, federal policy that
supports rather than undermines the bargaining power
of labor, job creation and training, etc.
For a summary of the key arguments and links to more
information, see the late-April American Prospect
posting on my blog (apesmaslament.blogspot.com).
These are the times when real change is possible. Let’s
make the most of it. |
