Poverty Law Prof Blog

New York Times Editorial on the Food Crisis: Man-Made Hunger

Today's editorial from the New York Times is worth reading: Editorial Board, "Man-Made Hunger," NYTimes, July 6, 2008. 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Light-Hearted Post: Dogs over Indigent

From the New York Times: "The two people who described the statement said Mrs. Helmsley signed it in 2003 to establish goals for the multibillion-dollar trust that would disburse assets after her death. The first goal was to help indigent people, the second to provide for the care and welfare of dogs. A year later, they said, she deleted the first goal."  Full story here.  Helmsley it should be remembered is quoted as saying "only the little people pay taxes" (CommonDreams story here). 
 

-ER. erosser@wcl.american.edu

News: Rent support to avoid student turnover

The N.Y. Times today has a story on rental subsidies being paid to parents to help reduce student turnover and education disruption.  Erik Eckholm, "To Avoid Student Turnover, Parents Get Rent Help," NYTimes, June 24, 2008. 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Crime and Section 8 Placements from Atlantic Monthly

This month's Atlantic Monthly features a potentially troubling story worth checking out.  Hanna Rosin, "American Murder Mystery," Atlantic Monthly, July/Aug 2008.  Note, clicking through the pages of the story at the bottom of the first webpage reveals more photos and video content. 

Teaser from the article: "On the merged map, dense violent-crime areas are shaded dark blue, and Section8 addresses are represented by little red dots. All of the dark-blue areas are covered in little red dots, like bursts of gunfire. ... Nobody in the antipoverty community and nobody in city leadership was going to welcome the news that the noble experiment that they’d been engaged in for the past decade had been bringing the city down, in ways they’d never expected." 

-Heads up courtesy of Susan Bennett.  E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

News: Colorado has Largest Rise in Child Poverty

According to the Colorado Children's Campaign (their report is here), and reported on in the New York Times Today, "Colorado experienced the nation's largest rate of growth in impoverished children from 2000-2006" (article here with graphic of shifts in poverty here).  The Denver Post's editorial responding to the report urges education as the solution: Board Editorial, "Learning how to escape poverty," June 11, 2008. 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Privatopia in India

The New York Times today published a story on privatopian communities (borrowing from Evan McKenzie) in India: Somini Sengupta, "Inside Gate, India's Good Life; Outside, the Servant's Slums)," NYTimes, June 9, 2008.  Associated slideshow here. 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

News Coverage: Gas Prices in Rural Areas

The New York Times published a story of interest: Clifford Krauss, "Rural U.S. Takes Worst Hit as Gas Tops $4 Average," NYTimes, June 9, 2008.  Linked to the story is an interactive graphic on the varying impact of gas prices (looking at the % of income spent on gas; gas prices; and distribution of income) as well as a slideshow. 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

More news coverage of global food crisis

The following links and stories may be of interest to those concerned or interested in the global food crisis:

• Amartya Sen, "Op-Ed: The Rich Get Hungrier," New York Times, May 28, 2008 [very good op-ed from Nobel Prize winner]. 
• World Bank press release connected to Rome Conference on Global Food Crisis and call for urgent action. 
• New York Times Series on The Food Chain. [Lots of photos and stories.]
• Washington Post's Series on the Global Food Crisis. [A series with ongoing coverage.]
• Elisabeth Rosenthal & Andrew Martin, "Leaders Speak of Their Own Issues at a Conference Addressing Food Shortages," New York Times, June 5, 2008.
• Andrew Martin & Elisabeth Rosenthal, "U.N. Says Food Plan Could Cost $30 Billion a Year," New York Times, June 4, 2008. 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Reviving a Paper Mill - Worker Stakeholders

The New York Times today covered the revival of a paper mill, in a story that shows the value of non-owner stakeholders: Fernanda Santos, "Revived Paper Mill Brings a Town Back With It," NY Times June 5, 2008; there is also an associated slide show.

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Fuel Poverty: UK and the US

A non-profit, Economic Opportunity Studies, has released a (short) report delineating the difference between the view on fuel poverty within the US and the UK.  The UK, it should be noted, has stated that fuel poverty occurs when a home spends  more than 10% of its income on Fuel Bills.  While The US has not come to a consensus on where the fuel poverty line occurs, the following study shows the probable number of households in the US falling below this line utilizing the UK standard.

According to a recent BBC news article, talks about a new plan that the UK is proposing in order to overcome some of the energy problems faced by their poor.  Although there is heavy criticism on the grounds that the plan is not enough to overcome many fuel poverty issues, there are strong proponents that point out that the plan is a large step in the right direction.

(All of this brings up Joseph Kennedy's efforts to bring lower heating costs to the poor, with the assistance of CITGO.  For negative commentary on the political aspects of this Venezuelan oil, see a Heritage Foundation editorial.   The New York Times Sunday Magazine also has an in depth article looking at nationalized oil, "The Perils of Petrocracy," that touches on this.)

-With thanks to Farhan Ali. E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

New York Times Editorial on Immigration

The New York Times published a strong editorial, "The Great Immigration Panic," June 3, 2008 that calls attention to how history will judge our current zenophobia.  It is worth reading even though more explicitly tied to the ImmigrationProf Blog. 

-[In the interest of full disclosure, I am married to a Salvadoran who is now a legal permanent resident.]  E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Millions unable to access HIV/AIDS Medication

The World Health Organization, UNAids, and Unicef have stated that they are two years behind on their access target of placing 3 million people on antiretroviral therapy (ART).  The main reason behind the slow movement of these agencies is attributed to the weak healthcare systems in these low income countries coupled with lack of staff and long-term financing.  For more, see related BBC story; World Health Organization report on Scaling Up Antiretroviral Therapy in Resource Limited Settings; and a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation case study on Working with Botswana to Confront Its Devastating AIDS Crisis.

-Thanks to Farhan Ali. E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Jack Kemp and George Mitchell on Poverty in the Spotlight

Of interest: Jack Kemp & George Mitchell, "Poverty Has Returned to the Public Agenda," Spotlight on Poverty.  Note that if you go to the link you will also find number of other op-eds on poverty from the Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity.

-Thanks to Josh Nelson at the Hatcher Group for the heads up. E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Gentrification in Portland, Oregon: "... upper-middle-class progressivism ..."

The New York Times published a story on gentrification in Portand, Oregon:

• William Yardley, "Racial Shift in Progressive City Spurs Talks," NY Times, May 29, 2008.
• with an associated slide show. 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Great Colbert Report interview of Grover Norquist

Last night, Monday, May 14, 2008, Stephen Colbert interviewed Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform on his show.  For those addicted to the show, the interview stands out for its particularly harsh questions; check it out here (I found it biting and funny). 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

New York Times on Cellphones and Poverty

The New York Times has an interesting article focusing on human-centered design and cellphones/poverty worth checking out: Sara Corbett, "Can The Cellphone Help End Global Poverty?" (Apr. 13, 2008).

Another article perhaps worth reading is Christine Haughney & Eric Konigsberg, "Despite Tough Times, Ultrarich Keep Spending," NYTimes, Apr. 13, 2008. 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

TANF Work Requirements

An Op-Ed by Noah Zatz in today's (Apr. 12, 2008) Washington Post, "A War on Community Service," criticizes limitations on TANF eligible community service imposed recently by the Bush Administration.  Zatz looks critically at HHS' recently issued final regulations defining TANF work activities and otherwise implementing the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.  It draws on research and ideas developed in his “Welfare to What?” and “What Welfare Requires from Work” articles.  If you haven't yet checked out those articles, do so... (they also make good material for Poverty class discussions).  =)

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

 

More on Foreclosures and Bailouts (from NYTimes, CAP, and Urban Inst.)

The housing market continues to dominate the news:

The importance of homeowners seeking help in time to avoid foreclosure is covered in: John Leland, "Swift Steps Help Avert Foreclosure in Baltimore," N.Y. Times, Mar. 26, 2008. 

The Center for American Progress' Housing Page includes a number of editorials and facts/figures that contrast the Wall Street Bailout with the treatment of homeowners (David D. Abromowitz, "Selective Bailouts"); provide an overview of the situation; and most significantly includes Abromowitz's report, "Addressing Foreclosures: A Great American Dream Neighborhood Stabilization Plan," CAP Jan. 31, 2008.

The Urban Institute also just published: Edward M. Gramlich, Subprime Mortgages: America's Latest Boom and Bust (you have to buy it, here is the amazon.com link, but the first chapter is online and can give you a taste of the book).

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu  

Financial Meltdown Editorials

The big news of the last few days, the continuing financial meltdown of Wall Street, tied partly to subprime loans and partly to poor regulation/poor choices and risky behavior, has generated a number of interesting editorials.  Here is a selection (photo for Bear market--perhaps too cute):

• E.J. Dionne Jr., "The Street on Welfare," Washington Post March 18, 2008.
• Robert J. Samuelson, "How This Crisis is Different," Washington Post March 18, 2008.
• Alex Tabarrok, "Home Sweet Investment," New York Times March 18, 2008 (a more positive take on where the housing market is headed and the fundamentals of housing)
• Editorial, "Who Will Come to the Rescue?" New York Times March 18, 2008 (good overview).
• And of course a favorite: Paul Krugman, "The B Word," New York Times March 17, 2008 (definitely worth reading on the coming bailout, ending ominously, "things are falling apart as you read this").

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu   

Slum Tourism

The New York Times recently covered slum tourism: Eric Weiner, "Slum Visits: Tourism or Voyeurism" NYTimes, March 9, 2008.  Thanks to Frank Pasquale and Concurring Opinions for highlighting this story.

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Very Good Reporting on Condo Conversions with Human Costs and Mechanisms

The Washington Post is doing a special series entitled "Forced Out: The Cost of D.C.'s Condo Boom" that is worth reading and could be a good addition to a housing/property and of course poverty law class.  The stories so far:

1. Debbie Cenziper & Sarah Cohen, "Landlords Profit from Decay," Washington Post, Mar. 9, 2008.
2. Debbie Cenziper & Sarah Cohen, "In One Heated Dispute, Someone Set a Fire," Washington Post, Mar. 10, 2008.
3. Another tomorrow... Available through the series' main site.

There is also audio slideshow entitled "The Wrong Side of Renewal" and an interactive map with details on how many tenants were forced out and the complaints made in the process of developers making way for condo conversions (the cost savings to developers that comes with vacancy is presented in a Post diagram). 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

New York Times Magazine March 9, 2008 on Charitable Giving

The cover story of the New York Times Sunday Magazine for March 9, 2008 is entitled "Giving It Away," and most of the Magazine's articles are on philanthropy.  Additionally there is a slide show on Social Entreprenuers. 

If you don't have a subscription, it might be worth picking up the Sunday paper -- but I am not trying to sell the newspaper.

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Stigma and School Free Lunch Programs

The N.Y. Times has a new article on the stigma associated with free lunch programs that are structured in ways that make recipients identifiable relative to other students; this problem echoes the problems of food stamps pre-EBT cards and such similarity does suggest a solution.  The article is: Carol Pogash, "Free Lunch Isn't Cool, So Some Students Go Hungry," NYTimes (Mar. 1, 2008). 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

William F. Buckley Jr. died at age 82 today.

One of the pillars of American conservatism, William F. Buckley, Jr., died today.  See NYTimes story here.  For more on Buckley, see "The Buckley Effect," NYTimes Oct. 2, 2005.  For more of his writing, on any number of issues, see the National Review's archive of his editorials. 

As a complete and unnecessary aside, Buckley took me and a few other college student reporters to what was my first dinner at a fancy restaurant, and I was very impressed with the way in which he didn't talk down to us, engaged in conversation, and was very kind both in randomly inviting us out and during the dinner.

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Very Good Krugman Editorial

Paul Krugman has a new op-ed on poverty, "Poverty is Poison," NY Times, Feb. 18, 2008 that if I was not afraid of violating rights held by the Times I would post in its entirety.  It is worth reading! 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

N.Y. Times Articles of Interest from the past weeks

This is just a list of poverty related articles of interest from this past few weeks:

• Jared Diamond, "What's Your Consumption Factor?" NY Times Jan. 2, 2008 [discussing consumption in developed countries versus the rest of the world]
• Jonathan D. Glater, "Harvard's Aid to Middle Class Pressures Rivals," NY Times Dec. 29, 2007 [related to earlier blog post on Harvard's announcement]
• David Jay Johnson, "Professor Cites Bible in Faulting Tax Policies," NY Times Dec. 25, 2007 [discussing the relationship of a religious duty to care for the poor with tax policy that is the focus of law professor Susan Pace Hamill's work] 
• David Leonhardt, "Age of Riches: Two Candidates, Two Fortunes, Two Distinct Views of Wealth," NY Times Dec. 23, 2007 [comparing Romney and Edwards according to how they became wealthy and their takes on their own wealth]
• Steven Greenhouse, "Tomato Pickers' Wages Fight Faces Obstacles," NY Times Dec. 24, 2007 [describing the heavy-handed tactics of Burger King in resisting a $.01/pound wage increase for pickers]
• Ian Urbana, "In Kentucky's Teeth, Toll of Poverty and Neglect," NY Times Dec. 24, 2007 [discussing need for dental care in KY]

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

David Brooks, Dictatorship of Talent (China - USA?)

David Brooks' recent editorial "The Dictatorship of Talent," N.Y. Times, Dec. 4, 2007, discusses in an interesting way the rise an unforgiving, high-stakes testing based, meritocracy in China.  It is worth reading for its own sake, but I will admit being struck by some of the similarities with the US (an obsession with talent, over reliance on high stakes tests, and somewhat at odds with Brooks' perspective, the coming together of business and government elites into a corpocracy to use Brooks' language).

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Food Banks facing shortages

The New York Times is reporting that food banks are "reporting critical shortages that have forced them to ration supplies, distribute staples usually reserved for disaster relief and in some instances close."  The article is: Katie Zezima, "Food Banks, in a Squeeze, Tighten Belts," Nov. 30, 2007. 

For more info on food banks and ways to get involved, check out America's Second Harvest: The Nation's Food Bank Network. 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Student editorial on inequality

I came across a student article that may be of interest when I was reading advice by Luz Herrera (a visiting faculty member at Chapman Law) to Harvard Law students considering public interest, available here.  In the Nov. 15 Harvard Law Record (I worked for it while in law school and I apologize that I haven't removed it from my list of bookmarked websites), Andrew Kalloch has an Op-Ed on "Toward an Interdisciplinary Understanding of Inequality."  In it Kalloch calls attention, albeit somewhat unscientifically, to the connection between psychological development and egalitarianism and implicitly to the costs imposed by today's problematic inequality. 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Henry Louis Gates Jr. on Wealth Gap within African-American community

Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s op-ed, "Forty Acres and a Gap in Wealth," was published by the N.Y. Times Nov. 18, 2007.  In the op-ed, Gates describes the importance of inherited wealth for 20 leading successful black leaders and proposes a whole host of steps that need to be taken, from increasing voter turnout to encouraging childhood literacy. 

Gates is the author of among other things: The Future of the Race (with Cornell West; a great book for seeing and contrasting the approaches of West and/versus Gates) and Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Man. 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu

Two N.Y. Times articles worthy of note

Leslie Eaton's article, "In Mississippi, Poor Lag in Hurricane Aid," Nov. 14, N.Y. Times, reports that Mississippi "has spent $1.7 billion in federal money on programs that have mostly benefited relatively affluent residents and big businesses," and that "just $167 million, or about 10 percent of the federal money, has been spent on programs dedicated to helping the poor." 

Julia Preston's "Immigration Quandary: A Mother Torn from Her Baby," Nov. 17, N.Y. Times reports on a Honduran mother who was detained, leaving her child who was still breast feeding and who is a U.S. citizen, in the care of social workers. 

-E.R. erosser@wcl.american.edu