Archives: Voices

Head Smacker: Trying to get Chairman Ryan’s poverty plan to match up with everything he has proposed up to now, and what he might be doing tomorrow

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) gave a speech today about Expanding Opportunity in America. He talked about the need to provide individualized services to poor families, to let states try new approaches and test their outcomes, to reduce incarceration and provide services for those returning from prison, and…

Rep. Ryan’s Plan to Fight Poverty – A Preview

This Thursday, July 24, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) unveils his plan to fight poverty and expand opportunity at an event at AEI. We encourage you to watch the live stream starting at 9 a.m., and share your thoughts about what you hear in the comments section below….

Head Smacker: Congress Continues to Fund Military Equipment the Pentagon Doesn’t Want

Despite Congress’ continued insistence that critical assistance like benefits for the long-term unemployed be paid for by cutting something else, they continue to push money towards the Pentagon – whether or not the Pentagon wants the money in the first place. The Friends Committee on National Legislation pulled together some…

Celebrating Our 2014 Human Needs Hero

Today, the need for organized advocacy around the rights of low-income and vulnerable populations is more important than ever. There’s so much work to be done, and we all need a hero to motivate us to keep striving for justice. This year, CHN will be honoring Jim Weill as our Human…

A New Tool in the Fight to Raise the Minimum Wage

In coordination with the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), Oxfam America has released an indispensable tool for minimum wage and anti-poverty advocates’ tool box: an interactive map with accompanying scorecards detailing the impact a federal minimum wage increase would have on the workers in each Congressional district. But it is not…

Elnora’s Story: A Voice for the Unemployed

“There are a lot of people truly hurting. Many feel they have no voice, or they are ashamed to share their story, and they’re going downhill. This isn’t just affecting individuals, but families, too. It’s taking away your dignity as a grown-up and individual. You go from providing for yourself and…

Fact of the Week: A Quarter of Americans Live in Concentrated Poverty Areas

Over 25% of Americans – more than 77 million people – lived in areas of concentrated poverty in 2010, up from 18.1% in 2000. The percentage of people living in these “poverty areas,” defined in the Census Bureau report released last week as an area where more than 20% of…