I watched the State of the Union address earlier tonight. First and foremost, Bush talked about his tax cuts and urged Congress not to let his “tax relief” expire. But, as I pointed out in my last post, his unfair tax cuts mean the working class has to pay more in taxes. Basically, changing the […]
Monthly Archives: January 2008
Bob Edgar Stresses Poverty
I just read an interesting interview with Bob Edgar, president of Common Cause. For the sake of remaining bipartisan, he does not take positions on presidents. But he does make some good points about issues. Internationally, he wants the next U.S. president to focus on ending secret prisons, torture and pre-emptive war. Domestically, he stressed […]
Bill Gates Suggests Creative Capitalism To Alleviate Poverty
At the World Economic Forum, Bill Gates said that we need to revise capitalism so that it also serves poor people, which he calls creative capitalism. I usually avoid suggesting “capitalism” as a way to alleviate poverty, because so many people have such different interpretations of what the word means, and because “capitalism” usually seems […]
Global Interconnectedness and Poverty
I just read an interesting article about Bono addressing the World Economic Forum alongside Gore. While I appreciate all the work Bono does in regards to poverty, he strikes me as somewhat of a self-serving phony who cares more about his own wealth and fame than actually solving problem of global poverty. But I have […]
Teen Pregnancy Does Not Perpetuate Poverty
I just read an interesting article about a study by Frank Furstenberg that shows that teen motherhood does not perpetuate poverty. According to the 30-year-study, postponing motherhood does not have a significant impact on a person’s chances of escaping poverty. For all intents and purposes, impoverished girls who bear children tend to do just as […]
UK Retirees Face Poverty
I just read an unfortunate story from the UK press. According to the article, nearly 2 million people in the UK retiring before April 2010 could face poverty. They face poverty because they do not qualify for full basic state pensions. To qualify, men currently need to have made “national insurance contributions” for 44 years, […]