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Families & The Federal Budget

Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Current Policy Choices Aid Abusers

October 23, 2014
This post originally appeared on TalkPoverty.org . We cannot separate support for domestic violence survivors from support for a robust safety net. TalkPoverty.org is dedicated to demonstrating that we know how to dramatically reduce poverty; we just need to build the political will. Make sure to...
Alyssa Peterson's picture

Child Care Centers and the Quality Improvement Catch-22

October 22, 2014
Quality improvements are indeed important—important enough to warrant the additional investment required. But we cannot keep pretending that these improvements can be paid for out of the current pool of meager resources. If we do, then even fewer children will be served. Child care centers serving low-income families will either opt-out if the quality improvements are voluntary, or be priced-out of existence if they are mandatory. Either of these outcomes will exacerbate the struggles of the working poor.
Alyssa Peterson's picture

Ulises’ American Dream Deferred

October 17, 2014
“As time went on, I saw how my own country, the place where I lived, was actually a bad place. I would see people fight and I thought that would be my life. I thought, that’s me–then I turned 4.”
Alyssa Peterson's picture

11 Great Reasons to Vote

October 14, 2014
We’re just a few weeks away from an incredibly important election. The votes people cast Nov. 4 will shape our future and our children’s. I’m sure you are planning to vote, but maybe you know people who are on the fence—who think elections in non-presidential years just aren’t that important. Not...
Liz Shuler's picture

From Cuddling to Canvassing

October 14, 2014
Lately, our idea of a hot date is to fling ourselves onto the couch. Then my husband casts me a knowing glance. I nod. And the big turn on begins. With the touch of Casanova, he fondles not just one, but five remotes, as we settle in to enjoy the PBS series about Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor...
Roberta Riley's picture

Holding it together is overrated

October 14, 2014
I’m known as the oldest of seven, the product of overachievers, a hyper-competent “woman who always has answers and knows where she’s going,” the go-to girl–the one who always seems have it together. And as I move deeper into the second half of my life, I’m questioning how this affects me–what is...
Renee Trudeau's picture

Boosting Economic Mobility through the EITC

October 10, 2014
Weathering emergencies isn’t the only reason to allow workers to access a portion of the EITC they have earned prior to tax season. A shortfall of cash may prevent families from making beneficial investments in their own future. A required training course for a new job, a summer math camp for a talented child—these are small expenditures today that pay significant dividends tomorrow. But these opportunities for advancement are often no longer available come spring when a family finally receives its EITC.
Alyssa Peterson's picture

The Unfair Price: Poverty in the LGBT Community

October 10, 2014
There is a clear connection between economic insecurity and anti-LGBT laws. Nineteen states lack almost any form of legal protections for LGBT people, and that has a real, tangible economic impact. When a gay or lesbian worker can be fired legally in 29 states; when a transgender person can be denied comprehensive health insurance in 42 states; or when a lesbian couple can be evicted in 29 states—the economic toll adds up.
Alyssa Peterson's picture

Voter's Guides 2014: Federal Spending and You

October 8, 2014
When you look at how our federal government spends money, do you see the priorities of your family and your community reflected? Your own day to day priorities might include getting something on the table for dinner, volunteering at your child’s cash-strapped school, scheduling doctors’ visits, or...
Lindsay Koshgarian's picture

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong

September 24, 2014
Well, they did it again. Senate Republican leaders last week blocked Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) bill that would let students refinance their college loans. It’s not the first time. They also did it in June. Don’t they understand that student loan debt is an emergency? It totals $1.2 trillion...
Liz Shuler's picture

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