Race Ethnicity Class & Gender
-
Helping the Poor Quit Smoking
-
Judge Rules Katrina Flooding Government's Fault
-
Long-term Unemployment Worst Since the Great Depression
Swine Flu Driving Paid Sick Leave Laws
Published November 15, 2009 @ 11:39AM PT
President Obama is urging anyone showing symptoms of swine flu to stay home for at least four days - a nearly impossible task for the 50% of working Americans who lack any paid sick leave. With legislation stalled in Congress to mandate paid sick leave, 15 states and several cities around the US are proposing their own sick leave laws. Sen. Dodd (D-CT) has proposed mandatory sick leave just for those diagnosed with swine flu, a rather pathetic compromise, in my book. (And I already know people who likely had swine flu earlier this year only to have it missed by their docs.)
I wrote about this issue less than 2 months ago (first link above), and not too much has changed. Unsurprisingly, many lawmakers resist the reality that public health and labor issues can be intertwined as is the case here: ill workers showing up to their jobs cost businesses roughly $180B per year, more than the cost of absenteeism. (Also of note: how many women's policy institutes are providing the data on worker/labor policies - gee, I wonder why...)
We have a window of opportunity here to pass some long overdue laws. I commend Democrats for using swine flu to raise awareness of this issue, and states and cities for responding to the very serious reality of a pandemic sweeping through their populations. Now if only people could actually get access to the vaccine...
(Photo of mask, liquid soap and paper tissue bfishadow)
Homophobia Trumps Anti-Poverty Mission of DC Archdiocese
Published November 13, 2009 @ 10:11AM PT
I'm with Mike on this one: I've got to headline this unbelievably craven move by the Catholic Church to threaten its social services to Washington D.C.'s poor if the city approves a same-sex marriage law. (Via.)
When I began writing for Poverty in America, the first action I created was to a pledge to join Catholic Charities Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America. Then I posted their video about the campaign. I remarked to our Editor at the time that as a lapsed Catholic, someone who'd fallen out with the Church over their anti-modern, anti-women, anti-choice points of view, that I felt weird highlighting their anti-poverty efforts. But I reconciled that the Catholic Church had a positive record of serving the poor - indeed, it seemed like their only redeeming quality these days.
Well, aren't I naive. Turns out the Church is perfectly willing to abandon DC's poor in their outdated, hateful, confused crusade over gay/lesbian civil rights. $10M is at risk here, what Catholic Charities contributes to public services for the poor. So far, some City Council members seem willing to let the Church walk, considering - fortunately - that it's only one of many social service providers in town. (And surely some of these other providers would love to step up and accept the $8M in public funds the Church receives every year to do these good works.)
House Healthcare Bill Effectively Prohibits Abortion
Published November 10, 2009 @ 08:41AM PT
I took a lot of flak yesterday from commenters for celebrating the passage of the House healthcare reform bill. Like many feminists (and unlike many others), I celebrated some of the specific advances towards equalizing healthcare coverage for women and men. And like most feminists, I am floored, sickened, and outraged that House Democrats have passed the most restrictive policy on abortion since it was legalized in 1973.
I'm trying to get how the Stupak-Pitts Amendment works correct here, so bear with me. This bill creates insurance exchanges for "individuals and small employers to comparison shop among private and public insurers, including new health insurance co-ops." Included here are federal subsidies "to help low- and middle-income individuals and families purchase insurance." The Stupak Amendment prohibits any insurance companies that enroll these subsidized individuals and families from covering elective abortions. It is anticipated that eventually the majority of all companies and individuals in the US will be covered through these exchanges. FDL leads us to the Amendment's inexorable conclusion:
House Bill Expands Medicaid to 15M more Americans
Published November 08, 2009 @ 11:34AM PT
Update, 11/10/09: I made an error in the # of Americans newly eligible for Medicaid via this bill. It is 15M Americans; through Medicaid expansion, subsidies, and insurance exchange options, 36M Americans overall will be newly covered through this legislation.
--
Congrats to House Speaker Pelosi, President Obama, the American people, and other elected leaders for their efforts to pass this historic healthcare bill. I'm always up for celebrating any social policy that is the next big victory since LBJ's achievements forty years ago.
Gay Rights blogger Mike Jones has some terrific info on one key Medicaid expansion in the bill that permits states "to cover early HIV treatment...a departure from a current policy that only allows states to use Medicaid funds once a patient develops full-blown AIDS." Let's take a look at the other wins for low-income Americans in the bill:
90% of Black Children on Food Stamps
Published November 05, 2009 @ 06:00AM PT
In one of the most dramatic examples I've seen of the true reach of hunger in the United States, a new report released this week by Washington University in St. Louis researchers found that 90 percent of black children will be clients of the national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/Food Stamps) at least once by the time they turn 20.
Although the percentage is less for white children (the only other ethnic group studied), the startling statistic here is that, at some point before their 20th birthday, 50 percent of all children in the United States will have received SNAP benefits.
More than being about access to food, the report's lead researcher says his findings represent a more important trend in the upbringing of the country's children. "Rather than being a time of security and safety, the childhood years for many American children are a time of economic turmoil, risk, and hardship," says Mark Rank, Ph.D.
Bing Wins Full Term to Lead Detroit
Published November 04, 2009 @ 04:58AM PT
Lots of Mayoral races last night, with specific marching orders to revitalize and continuously improve our cities. I'll be back later today with some thoughts on their different charges, but here's a quick round-up:
David Bing is elected for a full-term in Detroit.
Wunderkind Luke Ravenstahl is re-elected in Pittsburgh.
Bloomberg wins by less than anticipated in NYC for his self-appointed third term (basically).
Menino wins easily, but also by a smaller margin than usual, in Boston. He's now the city's longest serving Mayor, beginning his 6th term today.
Lawrence, MA elects its first Latino Mayor, William Lantigua - the first in MA.
In Atlanta and Houston, no decisions yet.
Any key elections in your neck of the woods?
And Maine voters, WTH????
Stimulus Bypasses Minority Businesses
Published November 03, 2009 @ 09:00AM PT
Criticism abounds of the unequal distribution of stimulus funds: high per capita allocations to low population, low unemployment states like Wyoming versus low per capita amounts to struggling states like CA; and the limited allocations reaching women- and minority-owned businesses compared to their proportion of the population.
The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity at The Ohio State University finds that "While approximately 14 percent of businesses are minority owned, the study shows that minority owned businesses received only 9.6 percent of federal contracts." Almost 3 in 10 businesses are owned by women, yet these firms received only 3% of stimulus funds. This disturbing inequity raises questions about the goals of the stimulus and the (surprising?) lack of focus on reducing economic inequality.
