Middle-Class Fallout: Failing the American Dream
The idea that children will grow up to be better off than their parents is a central component of the American Dream, and sustains American optimism. However, Downward Mobility from the Middle Class: Waking up from the American Dream finds that a middle-class upbringing does not guarantee the same status over the course of a lifetime. A third of Americans raised in the middle class—defined here as those between the 30th and 70th percentiles of the income distribution—fall out of the middle as adults.
Basic Economic Security in Mississippi
Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) and the Mississippi Economic Policy Center have released The Basic Economic Security Tables for Mississippi as part of a larger strategy to build economic security beyond low-skilled and low-wage jobs. Ed Sivak, Director of the MEPC, explained that “The findings of the report affirm the ongoing strategy within the state to replace low-skill jobs with high-skill high-wage jobs. In the process, it is essential that we provide support services and access to training for in-demand jobs for low-skill, low-wage Mississippians.”
Four New Studies on Trends in Race and Poverty
"The King Has No Clothes On": Is class warfare OK as long as no one mentions it?
by Fred Kammer, SJ
All Gulf South States in the "Top Fifteen" for Child Hunger
by Fred Kammer, S.J.
A new report from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) puts all five Gulf South states in the “top fifteen” of food hardship for households with children during 2009-2010. Mississippi at 32.5% of households is “number one” among the fifty states (the District of Columbia at 37.4% exceeds all fifty states). Alabama (32.0%) and Florida (30.0%0 follow immediately at “number two” and “number three” among the states while Louisiana (29.0%) and Texas (27.9%) are tied for 6th and 12th, respectively.
Debt Deal Heaps Heavier Burdens on the Most Vulnerable Americans
by Alex Mikulich, Ph.D.
The bipartisan debt deal reached between the President and Congress and signed on August 1, 2011, may have averted a catastrophic default on U.S. obligations that would have reverberated throughout the world, but it appears structured in a way that exacerbates the precarious conditions faced by the most vulnerable Americans, including children living in poverty, people who have lost jobs or are underemployed due to the Great Recession, historically disadvantaged communities of color, students, people who are disabled, and seniors.
Kids don't count much!
by Fred Kammer, S.J.
This month, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has released its new rankings for the KIDS COUNT indicators for the year 2011. At the bottom of the 50 states are Mississippi (50th), Louisiana (49th), and Alabama (48th). Texas (35th) and Florida (36th) again ranked in the bottom third of states.
Five compelling reasons for tax increases
In early August, Chuck Marr, Director of Federal Tax Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, named five compelling reasons that the new federal “supercommittee” must consider significant tax increases in their decision-making:
Two New Studies Look at Color, Ethnicity, and Income/Wealth Gaps
In Twenty to One: Wealth Gaps Rise to Record Highs between Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, the Pew Research Center reports that the median wealth of white households is 20 times that of black households and 18 times that of Hispanic households. The July 2011 report analyzes newly available government data from 2009.
Employment Slow to Rebound
Millions of Gulf South workers face still greater challenges
By Fred Kammer, S.J.