On November 27, the local government of Valley, Alabama caused a scandal by sending two cops to the home of Martha Menefield, an 82-year-old Black woman living alone, to arrest her for failing to pay $77.80 worth of garbage collection fees. Locals and online commenters slammed the Valley Police Department (VPD), and the story was picked up by the Washington Post and NBC. The police actually cuffed… Source Source / Read More: Local Alabama Police Arrested 82-Year-Old Woman for Overdue Trash Bill
Poverty
McConnell Celebrates Government Funding Package That Excludes Child Tax Credit
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell celebrated what he called a win for the GOP as lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a sprawling government funding package that includes $858 billion in military spending and leaves out a Child Tax Credit expansion that Democrats and progressive advocates demanded. “This is a strong outcome for Republicans, and much more importantly, it’s the outcome that our nation’… Source Source / Read More: McConnell Celebrates Government Funding Package That Excludes Child Tax Credit
With No Child Tax Credit, Families Are Slipping Back Into Poverty Amid Inflation
Originally published by The 19th A year ago, the expanded child tax credit ended. Between 2020 and 2021, the credit — which gave monthly payments of up to $300 per child — helped reduce child poverty by more than 40 percent. More than 36 million families received the credit in 2021, and the money helped push the child poverty rate below that of adults for the first time. But since the program… Source Source / Read More: With No Child Tax Credit, Families Are Slipping Back Into Poverty Amid Inflation
More than 100,000 people urge UN states to end spyware crisis
UN member states should urgently support a halt on the sale, transfer and use of spyware to end the endemic unlawful surveillance of activists, journalists, lawyers, and political leaders, Amnesty International said today. 107, 273 people from 180 countries and territories signed the organization’s petition demanding UN member states support a global moratorium on surveillance […] The post More than 100,000 people urge UN states to end spyware crisis appeared first on Amnesty International.
2021 Had Lowest-Ever Supplemental Poverty Rate, Thanks to Stimulus Provisions
Poverty rates hit a record low by some measures in 2021, the Census Bureau found in a new report released Tuesday, thanks in large part to the direct aid provided in stimulus bills passed by Congress over the first year of the pandemic. The Census Bureau found that the poverty rate hit an all-time low of 7.8 percent last year, while the child poverty rate fell to an all-time low of 4.5 percent, according to the Supplemental Poverty Measure. The Supplemental Poverty Measure takes a more holistic view of poverty, taking into account aid provided by public programs like Social…
Tel Aviv’s radical left finds a new home
Tel Aviv’s radical left finds a new home Culture of Solidarity, which began as a mutual aid initiative during lockdown, has grown into a hub for a new generation of activists across many struggles. The post Tel Aviv’s radical left finds a new home appeared first on +972 Magazine. Source / Read More: Tel Aviv’s radical left finds a new home
Warren Slams McConnell for Saying Labor Shortage Is Due to the Stimulus Checks
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) is facing widespread criticism for his recent assertion that the so-called labor shortage in the U.S. is the result of the stimulus checks that were sent out over a year ago. At an event in Kentucky on Tuesday, McConnell said that the $3,400 in direct aid sent out to American taxpayers over the past two years has been holding people back from working — a misleading statement in several respects, especially considering the fact that unemployment is currently quite low, with some states documenting record low unemployment over the past few months. “You’ve got…
Research Finds Investment in Permanent Child Tax Credit Would Pay Off 10-Fold
New research finds that if the expanded child tax credit were made permanent, the social and economic benefits from the investment would far outweigh the costs of the program. A working paper from Columbia University, Barnard College and Open Sky Policy Institute researchers finds that if low-income families with one child saw their income increase by $1,000 a year, the benefits would outweigh the cost of the program 10-fold. While making the program permanent would cost the government $97 billion, it would create social benefits worth $982 billion. These benefits include direct impacts, like improved health and longevity for both…
GOP’s Tax Plan Would Raise Taxes by Over $1,000 Annually for Poorest Americans
Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-Florida) plan to force every American to owe income tax in his recently released platform for the Republican Party would raise taxes by over $1,000 for the bottom 40 percent of income earners, a new analysis found. In a report released on Monday, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) estimated that the poorest Americans would be the most affected by Scott’s plan — meaning that the GOP’s tax plan would essentially be to tax the poor. The poorest 20 percent of Americans, who make $12,300 a year on average, would owe about $1,050 more in…