http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus.xml?type=poverty_and_opportunity In Focus articles from the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) en-us Sat, 25 May 2013 17:36:29 -0500 info@clasp.org webmaster@clasp.org 40 Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0078 This week, the Academic Pediatric Association (APA) Task Force on Childhood Poverty declared that childhood poverty is "the most important problem facing children in the US today" and issued a Strategic Road Map for addressing it as a public health issue. The APA Task Force commits to raising the voice of pediatricians to build public support for policies that will both reduce childhood poverty and address the negative effects of poverty on childrenaEUR(TM)s physical and mental health and development http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0078 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0077 Today, I am proud to announce the appointment of Olivia Goldman as CLASP's new executive director. She will succeed current ED Alan Houseman, who will step down at the end of the year after more than three decades of distinguished leadership. Olivia will join us in August. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0077 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0076 As has been widely reported, due to last-minute Congressional action, the so-called "fiscal cliff" has been avoided with the passage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) of 2012. However, some taxes did go up on January 1, and the automatic, across the board budget cuts known as sequestration have only been postponed, not prevented. Here's a handy guide to what happened to programs and taxes that affect low-income people, and what's still in play. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0076 Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0075 Confused about the fiscal cliff? No wonder since so much media coverage has focused on whether President Obama or the House Republicans have the upper hand, and not on what difference the policies they support will make in real people's lives, particularly low-income individuals and families. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0075 Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0074 Like the rest of the country, CLASP was closely following the first Presidential debate the other night. We were happy to see so much discussion of job training and getting the economy back on track. And then there were quips and misinformation - and omission of important topics all together - that made us not so happy. Because there are still two debates and a vice presidential debate left, here's a re-cap of the @CLASP_DC Twitter feed with our reactions to what got mentioned in the first debate - and what we're still waiting to see the candidates address in the remaining #debates. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0074 Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0073 We at CLASP have been following the presidential election closely. Not because of who the candidates are, but because there's so much at stake for the country's future. 46 million Americans live in poverty. 16 million of them are children. The economy is slowly coming back from the brink of complete devastation, and everyday families are looking for real solutions to the continued hardship many face. They deserve a plan from the candidates for meaningful solutions and a vision that will carry us all forward. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0073 Mon, 10 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0072 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0072 Wed, 22 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0071 CLASP is well-known for high-quality policy analyses and serious policy wonks. But as a few of us policy wonks were reminded at an evening concert a few weekends ago, even the best policy brief wonaEUR(TM)t move the soul like a passionate song can. When we heard these lyrics to James McMurtryaEUR(TM)s 2004 song aEURoeWe CanaEUR(TM)t Make it HereaEUR?, it was as if heaEUR(TM)d written a theme song for CLASP and our allies working to promote economic security and mobility. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0071 Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0070 The Pew Research Center has released a report examining how residential segregation by income has risen over the last 30 years. This doesn't just mean people with different incomes live in different areas, it's also a sign that opportunities and access to resources like good education and healthy food are increasingly segregated. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0070 Tue, 14 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0069 What is sequestration? A) What the doctor tells you to do when you have the flu B) A new dance craze spreading on YouTube C) The latest Mars explorer D) Budgetary rules that could result in deep, automatic and indiscriminate spending cuts starting in January http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0069 Fri, 03 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0068 Child stunting in the U.S. is a surprise. Its implications demand attention. Yet, the possibility that the incidence of stunting will grow should not surprise. The nation's poverty rate is expected to reach levels not seen since the 1960s. Very young children are the age group with the highest rates of poverty and the nutritional deprivation termed food insecurity (what front line workers and parents call hunger). Yet, as the needs of children increase, budget outlays for them are decreasing. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0068 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0067 Last Friday, Secretary Napolitano and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new deferred action process for DREAM Act-eligible youth (also known as DREAMers). As an organization whose focus includes working to improve opportunities for America's youth and ensure education and career access for all, this is a momentous announcement. Young people who have excelled in education or have served our country in the armed forces may now be eligible to receive employment authorization to work and not worry about how deportation may interrupt their lives for the duration that they are receiving deferred action. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0067 Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0066 But is marriage invariably a poverty-buster? It turns out that one plus one does not always add up to two stable incomes. Particularly for those with precarious incomes the decision to get hitched includes a special calculation that adds in an assessment of economic instability and liability. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0066 Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0065 In Utah, a picture of poverty is about to get painted. The state legislature has unanimously passed a bill that will provide data on the extent of, and the demographics attached to, intergenerational poverty in the state. While Utah may be the only state with such a law, there is growing interest around the country in research that shows economic mobility is more elusive in the U.S. than in other developed nations. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0065 Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0064 Select CLASP blog posts and other highlights http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0064 Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0063 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0063 Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0062 The North Carolina Truth and Hope Tour is currently underway and shining a spotlight on the reality of poverty around the state. Past U.S. poverty tours have been conducted by figures such as Senator Robert F. Kennedy, President Bill Clinton, and Senator Paul Wellstone, among others. These tours shed light on the real hardships many Americans face-hardships that too often go unrecognized or ignored. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0062 Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0061 Select CLASP blog posts and other highlights. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0061 Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0060 Select CLASP blog posts and other highlights http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0060 Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0059 Today marks International Women's Day, a chance each year to celebrate the many advancements women have made and take stock of the overall health and well-being of women. Around the world - and here in the United States - poverty among women remains a pressing issue in need of more attention and more action. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0059