Tag: Poverty

The Week in School: Militarized Schools & Poverty

I make it a personal policy to work very hard not to swear like a sailor on my blog. At times this self-imposed policy is profoundly hard for me. The first part of this post, especially, is one such moment: Militarization of public schools. San Diego School District Purchases 18-Ton Military Surplussed Armored Vehicle This falls in the “What the… Continue reading

And Man Became a Living Soul [Updated]

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n 21st-century America, I am feeling less and less like a living soul and more and more like a collection of data points. I place the blame for this at the feet of the American church. The church has, as the Bible refers to it, “lost its savor.1” Today’s Sorry State of Affairs I think that most people now realize… Continue reading

Class Warfare, Indeed

Here are a few sobering statistics for you: 46.2 million Americans now living in poverty (US Census Bureau‘s annual report on poverty)–the highest in 52 years. (Source) The US has, by far, the most unequal distribution of wealth of any major country on earth. (Source)  We rank close to Botswana! After accounting for inflation, median wages for men between 30… Continue reading

Half of All US Children

At the end of 2009, a study reported by the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine concluded that over half of all of the children that live in the United States will live in homes that receive food stamps at some point before they reach the age of 20.  I wonder if now, just over a year later, the problem… Continue reading

Missing a Photograph

I’m visiting here in Arkansas. This community has its share of poverty, especially in these difficult economic times. In addition to the poverty, this state has experienced torrential rains this year–exceeding all records since they began keeping them in the 1800’s. Getting around has been even more challenging than when I visited Ireland this year. Many roads are flooded and… Continue reading

The Face of a Nation in Poverty

“For the first time in more than 35 years, the U.S. military has met all of its annual recruiting goals, as hundreds of thousands of young people have enlisted despite the near-certainty that they will go to war. link: Military reports historic recruiting success // Current Image: by BL1961 @ Flickr History of Rosie the Riveter (Norman Rockwell‘s “Rosie the… Continue reading

RNC Theme of Unity?!

What?! You’re kidding!  Right?! This party has done nothing but disenfranchise the whole confounded world, and now they want unity?! Good God! How can you: ignore millions of people, fail to represent their needs, their hopes, desires and aspirations, refuse to listen to their voices, claim all is well when millions suffer (unemployment up and poverty up according to the… Continue reading

For Those Who Want to Know…

Despite Bush’s campaign claim that the economy has turned a corner, the number of poor in America and the number of Americans without health insurance continues to increase. New Census Bureau figures indicate that the number of Americans living in poverty grew by 1,300,000 last year, bringing the total to 35,800,000 Americans, or about 12.5% of the population. The increase… Continue reading