The posts below are from a blog on Poverty and Inequality that I maintained from 2009-2011.
Category Archives: General
Purpose of the Poverty and Inequality Blog (2009-2011)
Purpose The purpose of this blog is to highlight trends, resources and opinions on what’s happening regarding poverty and inequality and what should be done to address them. The focus is largely, though not exclusively, on the U.S, particularly on Los Angeles and California. See my introductory post for more background on my motivations for creating thisContinue reading “Purpose of the Poverty and Inequality Blog (2009-2011)”
Working to end homelessness in Los Angeles
Los Angeles continues to take important steps toward ending homelessness. I posted an overview of the release of “Home for Good,” an action plan to end chronic and veteran homelessness in LA over at the Funders Together blog: “Seeding systems change, innovation and a plan to end homelessness in Los Angeles.”
What Tax Time can do for the Working Poor
By Joseph Martinez and Walen Ngo, United Way of Greater Los Angeles The EITC, or Earned Income Tax Credit, has been known for over thirty years to be one of the more successful anti-poverty programs in the nation. The tax relief program is geared toward only workers earning income below a certain income threshold andContinue reading “What Tax Time can do for the Working Poor”
On hiatus
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted to this blog, due simply to having too many things to do over the couple months. I’m hoping to get back to the blog more regularly in the near future. In the meantime, you may want to check out a post I did recently over at the Funders TogetherContinue reading “On hiatus”
Good News/Bad News
I have a confession to make: I fight with my daughter almost every morning. Well, “fight” might be a strong word, but part of our morning ritual is to tussle over who gets the Business section of the paper. She is the household meteorologist (a word she learned in her first grade section on “communityContinue reading “Good News/Bad News”
And the winner is…
Most of the world – outside the U.S. anyway – was fixated over the last week on South Africa to learn the draw for next summer’s soccer World Cup. The 32 teams that qualified for the competition were divided into eight round-robin groups. The top two teams from each group then go into the single-eliminationContinue reading “And the winner is…”
Compassion: it’s who you know
This past weekend I participated in the third annual HomeWalk, an event to raise funds and awareness to end homelessness in Los Angeles, with thousands of other people. The walk raises hundreds of thousands of dollars each year that are distributed to organizations working to house the homeless. The money is great, but potentially moreContinue reading “Compassion: it’s who you know”
Criminalizing poverty
A recent op-ed by Barbara Ehrenreich asks, “Is It Now a Crime to Be Poor?” In her engaging style, Ehrenreich tells the story of how a man who is “an ordained minister and does not drink, do drugs or curse in front of ladies” was arrested taken from a homeless shelter and put in jailContinue reading “Criminalizing poverty”
Inequality and insecurity, Latin American style
I am currently visiting family and friends in Ecuador, where I cannot help but be confronted daily with poverty and inequality. Having lived here in the early 1990s and returning at least every couple years since then, I’ve been able to observe the changes occurring – some positive but many negative – in this countryContinue reading “Inequality and insecurity, Latin American style”
Bill Pitkin 