The Next Economic Stimulus Should Help Those Who Need it Most

by: Josh Nelson

Mon Nov 10, 2008 at 02:28 PM CST

First the banks were bailed out. Then it was the insurance companies. The auto industry will be next.

When will the those who really need it get their bailout?

There will be another economic stimulus package in the next few months. President-elect Obama made it clear at his first press conference last week: "If it does not get done in a lame-duck session, it will be the first thing I do as president of the United States." A glance at headlines from the past few days drives the seriousness of the situation home:

There's More... :: (0 Comments, 433 words in story)

Texas Republicans Poor on Poverty

by: Michael Hurta

Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 11:11 AM CDT

Regardless of anyone's opinions of the 2006 election cycle, a phrase that the Democrats' Gubernatorial Candidate often used seemed to stick in the memories of many. Personally, it was my favorite line of the cycle.

"Thank God for Mississippi."

I cannot be sure if Mississippi is worse than Texas on poverty issues, but the point of the statement was to highlight the failures of our Republican leaders to help Texans.

One of these failures is in the context of poverty.

Texas has many claims to fame and much to recommend it. But among the Lone Star State's shames is its residents' high rate of poverty and the deprivations - from hunger to illiteracy to a lack of adequate health care - that go along with being poor. But rather than working in Congress to lift impoverished Texans into the middle class, the members of the Texas delegation in Congress were among the nation's least likely to support anti-poverty programs.

Grades have been given out by the Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. The differences between Democrats and Republicans are distressingly stark.

Every member, except Nick Lampson, of the Texas Democratic Congressional delegation receives an A+ (that means 100 percent). And Mr. Lampson, who is fighting for his life in a very Republican district, still received a B.

On the other side of the aisle, the highest Republican grade was a D (including both of our Senators).
Four Texas Republicans received an F-, meaning they voted for NONE of the proposals to help poverty. These disgraceful congressmen are Sam Johnson, Jeb Hensarling, John Culberson, and Randy Neugebauer.

Senator John Cornyn, up for reelection, received a D -- voting for only 21 percent of the studied measures. Today he is speaking at the University of Texas about his new high stance on Darfur. I am glad that Senator Cornyn for finally seeing the light on Sudan, but he remains hypocritical as the Sudanese are the only people in dire need he wishes to help. What about those Texans in dire need? They deserve help, too.

Discuss :: (5 Comments)

Goodhair and Company must answer in court for denying poor kids medical coverage!

by: lightseeker

Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 10:36 PM CDT

LINK Texas not meeting kids' Medicaid needs, court agrees.
Ruling in mothers' federal lawsuit means they can seek relief from state for failing to comply with 1996 agreement

There's More... :: (0 Comments, 1496 words in story)

Mid-Sized East Texas Cities Facing Big City Issues Updated: 7/8

by: Cody Yocom

Fri Jul 07, 2006 at 10:53 PM CDT

In Tyler, it’s the recent gunfire that left two people injured. Four bank robbers were arrested just this past month. Police say gang activity has become more organized and is gaining influence. In Longview, there have been a plague of drive-by shootings. Police there are attributing the issues to drugs and gangs. These have become the signs that in formerly small town East Texas, some areas are facing big city growing pains.

Community leaders aren’t standing by idle, though. Donald Sanders, a recently elected city council member for Tyler’s west side is organizing the support. Thursday night Sanders led a community town hall meeting to talk about reclaiming the neighborhoods.

The Tyler Morning Telegraph followed the meeting closely.

"I think this is a meeting that's long past due," Sanders said, addressing an estimated crowd of about 100. "I cannot sit back and not do anything to try and eliminate these kinds of problems. I have nothing to fear. If we pull together as a community, we can put a damper on it."

In Longview, local ministers have begun to fight back with their own non-violent movement. The Longview News Journal has followed several of the pastors as they have organized community events to bring about awareness and speak to the issues that have been driving some into their homes and off of the their formerly safe streets.

The Rev. D.J. Nelson, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, compared violence with cancer.
"If doctors find cancer in a certain part of your body, it's a threat to the entire body," he said. "Any time we have issues in our city like drugs or violence, it's a threat to the entire city."

There's More... :: (0 Comments, 773 words in story)

Prosperity Lost

by: Xpatriated Texan

Mon Jul 03, 2006 at 06:42 AM CDT

The Avalanche-Journal reports on the shocking numbers that tell the story of childhood poverty:

The number of children subsisting in low-income families here has increased to 15,145, or by approximately 5 percent since 2000, based on data compiled by the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities' Texas Kids Count Project.
With this increase in poverty comes an increase in infant mortality, low-birth weight babies, and the percentage of babies who are not immunized, according to the Kids Count Data Book, a national report released last week by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Is this the Texas that Rick Perry is proud of?

There's More... :: (9 Comments, 855 words in story)

The Billionaire Boom and the Growth of Poverty

by: matthew_lt

Fri Mar 10, 2006 at 09:30 AM CST

Forbes came out with thier new list of the worlds richest people today. 793 billionaires in the world, that's a 15% growth over the past year. In the US we have 371 of those billionaires and Texas lays claim to 33 of those people, including two of the top 20. In Houston alone thier are seven billioniares.

As I mention all this I also want to say that almost 3 billion people live on $2 Dollars a day. Half of the worlds children live in poverty. "The combined wealth of the world’s 200 richest people hit $1 trillion in 1999; the combined incomes of the 582 million people living in the 43 least developed countries is $146 billion." (see here for a list of other poverty/wealth realted facts).

I'm not a huge "save the children" kind of person, but when I heard about Forbes new list on the radio this morning it just made me wonder what we could do with the combined $2,600,000,000,000 ($2.6 trillion) of the list.

Discuss :: (0 Comments)