America’s deep freeze is no time to be stingy about heating homes of the poor
Mark Wolfe,
January 5, 2018
Editor’s note: This piece was originally published by CNN on January 4. Low-income families struggle to pay their home energy bills in the best of times, and these are not the best of times. Record cold temperatures are bearing down along the East Coast and across the Midwest, and, based...
Cuts by any other name
David Elliot,
January 5, 2018
Over the holidays, Jared Bernstein, Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, had an interesting op-ed published in the Washington Post. His New Year’s resolution to journalists and others: When talking about changes to the programs that make up our country’s safety net, do not say “reform”...
If our children are so ‘precious,’ we must invest in them
Andrew L. Yarrow,
January 3, 2018
Editor’s note: This piece was originally published by the San Francisco Chronicle on December 23, 2017. We often hear how “precious” a child is, what a “treasure” she is, and how our kids are “our greatest resource.” Neuroscientists tell us that ages 0-3 are the most critical years for cognitive, social and...
The value of seeing and treating poverty as a health issue
James Abro,
December 28, 2017
In July of this year, Barry Ostrowsky, the CEO of RWJ Barnabas – the largest hospital-based health care provider in New Jersey — sat down with PBS talk-show host Steve Adubato to talk about RWJB’s recently developed “social impact initiative.” In Ostrowsky’s words: “It is an attempt to make communities...
Ryan, McConnell and Trump’s Failed Leadership
Deborah Weinstein,
December 21, 2017
Congress’ leaders and President Trump care about getting tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations – that much has been established. But how about carrying out the most basic responsibilities of government? Such as: ensuring the stable continuation of health coverage for children and operations of community health centers; helping...
