Please Sign Petition to Reform Social Security Disability SSDI and SSI Determination Processes
Take Action! Sign My Petition! Reform Social Security Disability SSDI and SSI Determination Processes - http://tinyurl.change.org/zXUto Thanks! I won at the hearing level 2006, but got cut off soon after that due to husband making too much $ for SSI/Medicaid. Now hubby left, have to reapply all over again in April! Just got first denial notice... Here we go, reconsideration, again. Not so sure I'll make it for hearing again this time. It is ridiculous. You must First become a supporter of Poverty in American, then click on sign my petition button.
After 40 years spent working, I developed serious medical problems. Because I put money into the social security system, I receive $1400 a month to live on from them, stripped down to $1308 to pay for medicare and medication. My cost of living I've managed to get down to $950 a month by cutting out everything but rent, phone, unilities and transportation. $684 gets spent on medical expenses and medication not covered by Medicare. Until now, the extra $326 has been coming out of savings but savings is almost gone.
Next month that $684 figure will jump to $1,238.00 because medication is only paid for up to a certain dollar amount.
Boulder does not support my art life, I am kept in poverty for 3 decades.
In Boulder, you can see people on corners with signs -"Will Work for Food"
it works so well for them, I thought I would give it a try here, with a little change to the wording.
I am really encouraged by the progress being made with our Democratic Deliberation on the issue of Poverty in St. Louis. Our last meeting included a multi-cultural crowd who excited about change. So excited they are willing to work for it. We hope that more of you, who care about those who soiciety forgets will join us in our efforts. This Thursday at 6:00 p.m. we will have another meeting were we will discuss further actions and our mission statement. Please join in our efforts.
Democratic Deliberation on the issue of Poverty in St. Louis
Left Bank Books, 321 N. 10th Street (at the corner of 10th and Locust), 6:00p.m. Thursday July 23rd.
Living and working in St. Louis Mo. I encounter daily the social ills that is pervasive in this community, such as poverty, homelessness, a failing school system, and crime. In the past I would just ignore these huge blights in the city's landscape and would take a non-chalant attitude towards the sufferings of my neighbors. Now that I know more about my duties as a citizen of a free democracy and since I have taken the time to research why huge disparities exist in my community, I stand outraged! Therefore, I encourage other outraged activists who want to see change in our community on a grassroots level, to join us as we plan a community wide democratic deliberation on poverty in the St. Louis region.
Democratic Deliberation on Poverty in the St. Louis Region Planning session
Thurs, July 9th. 6:00 p.m.
Left Bank Books Downtown, 321 N. 10th street, at the corner of 10th and Locust.
I want to discuss poverty and its effect on our economy. I do not have all the answers but I do have a desire to initiate a dialogue on how to eradicate poverty. It is my belief that this is the perfect time to reach out and bring the people who live below the poverty level into the middle class. Our country and the world is on the verge of a great technological leap and our resources are being refocused to bridge the gaps that exist in our economy. It is imperative that we not lose this opportunity to institute a green economy and take a new and fresh approach to how we help those in need.
I am starting a non-profit in Hyattsville, Maryland that will use government resources to help those that others want to help but are apparently to busy to speak to. We must upgrade our workforce and change how we obtain energy as well as reforming our health care system. Why not use our volunteer time and government and private funds to establish businesses that train or re-train our workforce while we look at how we relate to the poor. Our law enforcement agencies are overwhelmed and our prisons are over crowed and we cannot afford to continue to fund programs that deal with the side effects of poverty and discrimination.
I am a veteran and a minority living in a wealthy state and I see homeless people and immigrants/migrants with no programs of substance to help. I have a background in social work and outreach to populations in crisis and I have decided not to take a 9-5 position and instead I will work for less money and advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves.
I guess I could be wrong! I’ve always voted for candidates based on bills they have either authored or supported by their vote, and this, with me, has been true at the local state and federal levels of our government.
Now I see there are other things I should have considered besides the “Intent” of the bill introduced by the person I want in office or that person’s beliefs.
As I understand it, Lawmakers in at least eight U.S. states want recipients of food assistance, unemployment benefits or welfare to submit to random drug testing. For me this is a travesty of government, which could lead to serious repercussions. This effort comes as more Americans turn to these safety nets to ride out the recession. Poverty and civil liberties advocates fear the strategy could backfire, discouraging some people from seeking financial aid and making already desperate situations worse. Please consider reviewing this online news release by CBS News entitled: “States Consider Drug Tests For Needy”. Subtitled: “Recipients Of Food Stamps, Unemployment Benefits And Welfare Targeted By Plans In 8 States”.
We enact laws to “aid” and “protect” us for specifically defined reasons, when these laws are not used for this purpose, in my opinion we are violating the “Rule of Law”, which our country is based upon.
Suppose in my extreme example: a person is transporting a registered firearm “illegally” (in actuality basically a law bidding citizen with no criminal record) in there vehicle; and while transporting the firearm this person comes to the aid of rescuing another individual from a pending life or death situation, hence saving the person’s life! Should this “Good Samaritan” be charged with the crime of transporting a firearm illegally?
For me, to long, I have witnessed the miscarriage of justice within our country in regards to applying laws authored to service one purposed and used in another to establish the “Law of Rule” as opposed to the “Rule of Law”. Our former Bush administration is an additional example, with to many examples to site within one posting.
So, lets not deny those who need financial assistance at this troubling time in our economy when they need it the most. Especially when you consider we could be hurting innocent family members within a family more so than the person under question. Denying an individual these needed benefits could also lead this person to a more serious crime and with one in every one-hundred Americans serving prison time; our penal system is already heavily over crowded.
The following video is a prime example of the importance the Rule of Law as it applies to our American society and basically what separates our nation from developing and undeveloped nations.
Public Service, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law
Sen. Ted Kennedy delivers the keynote address at the 2006 Conference on Public Service & the Law at the University of Virginia Law School. Founded by law students seven years ago, the conference brings together students, citizens, and attorneys to discuss current public interest legal issues. A graduate UVA’s law school, Mr. Kennedy discusses ‘Public Service, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law’.
Additional postings regarding this topic and others may be found here:
Once upon a time some thousand years back a country X faced serious economic crisis resulting financial and banking institution failures, massive unemployment, trade crisis that slashed kingdom revenue. King and his chief minister were worried about moving economy. All solutions they brought were failed rather deepened further. Entire kingdom was sleepless. Worried King ordered the ministries “Perceiving economic down turn I decide to invite all the economists and ministers for their suggestions to overcome the deepening crisis and find solutions. Suitable idea will be rewarded”.
Today it was disclosed 1 in 50 children, in America, live in a homeless family!
There’s “No” easy solution to this problem; children cannot be taken away from there parents and we as fellow citizens cannot easily provide homes for these families. So what’s the solution?
As I see there is no short term fix; homelessness as a whole as been avoided for almost the past thirty years by us, the American people, and at all levels of government providing only token service at best to take care (soup kitchens, old clothing and limited, space available shelter) of the homeless, but “not” to solve the problem(s) of what creates homelessness.
However, as I do see it, there is a long term solution, which complements, but extends our recently passed Stimulus Package in congress last month. After World War II our federal government provided funding for a number of nation wide housing projects to accommodate lower income family’s homes to temporally live in; until America’s economy recovered from the war effort and industry could re-gear to produce consumer related goods. A side benefit of this aforementioned program was creating jobs for returning veterans from the European and Pacific theaters of action, which it successfully accomplished.
Today, the housing industry is suffering, thus the lack of “new housing starts”, placing many of our skilled tradesmen out of work (perhaps even homeless); so the question begs to be asked “why couldn’t an extension sum of money be included in the existing Stimulus Package for Federally Funded Housing?”
By now it should be intuitively obvious I’m more or less a Democratic, “left leaning” liberal, which to some means I believe in and support unlimited “welfare assistance”, which is not the case at all. This “government housing”, I’m suggesting, must have enforceable, stick limitations for the tenants caring to reside in these proposed dwellings, suggested are a few:
I’m sure there are additional limitations and conditions to consider, before commencing on such an extreme and expensive program, both these are what comes to mind, which are important to me. In other words, stated simply, this is not another endless free ride for those who are content to exist on welfare or produce offspring to gain free to low cost housing for life.
I’m not going to invoke a session of preaching within this posting, but experience should have taught us that these homeless kids, growing up on our city streets have one alternative to turn to, which is “gangs, hence crime”; causing an ever worsening condition for our society. With 1 out of 100 Americans serving prison time, I certainly don’t feel my tax payer dollars should be spent on additional confinement facilities or the expansion of existing prisons.
Below is the article which promoted this posting appearing in TIME and entitled: “Report Says 1 in 50 U.S. Kids Are Homeless”, authored by Steven Gray.
Homeless
Report Says 1 in 50 U.S. Kids Are Homeless By Steven Gray / Chicago Tuesday, Mar. 10, 2009
Even before the financial and home foreclosure crisis hit full stride, the number of homeless children in America had reached an alarming level. The National Center on Family Homelessness released a report today that estimates that one in every 50 American children was homeless between 2005 and 2006. That totals roughly 1.5 million kids. While the center provided no previous statistic to compare against that figure, a study conducted with different measures published in 2000 put the total at 1.35 million children living in homelessness each year. The numbers are likely to get worse as the economy continues to decline. “We know the numbers are going to skyrocket,” says Ellen Bassuk, president of the Newton, Mass.-based Center and an associate professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School.
Indeed, a quick survey of the country provides lots of evidence to support those fears. Chicago public school officials report the number of its 405,000 students deemed homeless soared to 11,143 last month from 9,182 in February 2006. School officials in Hillsborough County, Fla., which includes Tampa, have so far counted some 1,700 homeless students — and expect the figure to eclipse last year’s 2,020. Meanwhile, the surge in homeless families has overwhelmed Massachusetts’ shelters, forcing state officials to book motel rooms for the displaced. In January, some 4,600 homeless children were reported in the state’s shelters and motels, up from 3,411 from roughly one year earlier. (See one family’s struggle against homelessness.)
According to the new report, the states with the highest number of homeless children in the period studied were Texas (337,105), California (292,624), Louisiana (204,053), Georgia (58,397) and Florida (49,886). The states reporting the smallest populations of homeless children: Wyoming (169), Rhode Island (797), Vermont (1,174), North Dakota (1,181), and South Dakota (1,545). However, the report also ranks the states according to parameters that go beyond their share of homeless children, factoring in, among other things, incidence of such health conditions as asthma and tooth decay. With that framework, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Rhode Island and North Dakota were rated among states that dealt best with the problem overall. At the bottom of the list: Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, New Mexico and Louisiana.
Families with children comprise roughly one-third of the nation’s homeless population. Poverty continues to be a core reason for the crisis, though the aftermath of Hurrican Katrina combined to swell the numbers in Louisiana, Texas and Georgia. Since the 1980s, single mothers have accounted for an increasing share of the homeless population, partly because of increased divorced rates, gender and wage disparities, and the shrinking supply of affordable housing. Officials believe that the current home foreclosure crisis will be adding a new demographic to these statistics: middle-class blacks and Latinos. “It’s families that were living pretty independently, doing pretty well. And, through just one event, it was, like, a domino effect — if one part of the puzzle breaks off, then everything breaks off,” says Michael Levine, who coordinates social work programs for Hillsborough, Fla.’s 206,000-student school system. (See Cleveland’s woes amid the current foreclosure crisis.)
The nation’s states and cities are awaiting an infusion of $1.5 billion from President Obama’s stimulus package devoted to homelessness prevention programs. Those programs will provide short-term rental and mortgage assistance, as well as security deposits and utility bills. A decade ago, the Department of Housing and Urban Development spent barely $1 billion on all of its homeless programs each year.
Still, measuring homelessness is tricky, partly because of varying definitions of what constitutes homelessness. It is especially difficult to gauge homelessness among children, since many teenagers are reluctant to identify themselves as such, and evade formal counts by living independently on the streets or in vacant apartments with friends. This is compounded by the scarcity of housing options for children over age 12, particularly boys, who are typically barred from entering shelters with their mothers. So any gauge merely offers a glimpse at the problem’s severity. The report’s researchers based their analysis on a broad definition of homelessness that included, for instance, children living in shelters, on the streets, or with other relatives, a practice known as “doubling up.” The findings are no less startling: Roughly three-quarters of homeless children are of elementary school age, and 42% are below age six.
The consequences of homelessness are profound. Homeless children are twice as likely as other children to be “retained,” or held back, one academic year, or to be suspended or, ultimately, to drop out of school altogether. School districts across the country report a growing share of students who are “highly mobile” — who move multiple times within a school year. With each move, experts say, such students are at risk of falling some six months behind, or more, in their studies. Roughly one-quarter of homeless children have witnessed violence. It isn’t surprising, then, that nearly half of such children suffer from anxiety and depression.
It’s the narrative that Trisha Parker, 19, is hoping to avoid for her infant son. Parker can’t live with her mother, who receives federal housing assistance, and neither can she live with her grandmother in the Chicago suburbs much longer. Parker says she completed training to be a medical technician, but couldn’t find work in the field. She was recently hired as a security guard, earning $11 an hour. But that’s hardly enough to afford even a $600 a month studio apartment. Larger units are beyond her reach. “They want the first and last month’s security deposit” which is, she figures, about $2,000, maybe $2,500. “It really is a lot.”
Complementing this story is a YouTube video regarding a program in Massachusetts, Horizons for Homeless Children, which is a good example of what can be done for the less fortunate children in today’s America.
Horizons for Homeless Children Programs
This is a 3.5 minute piece that features Massachusetts-based Horizons for Homeless Children and the programs/services it offers to homeless children and families. For more information, visit www.horizonsforhomelesschildren.org. Special thanks to all involved in the production of this video, including Redtree Productions, Jay Williams, Richard Klug, Soundtrack Boston, Alex Lasarenko at Tonal Sound and Mary Richardson. Thanks also to all of the children, families, volunteers and HHC staff who helped share the story.
This is a 3.5 minute piece that features Massachusetts-based Horizons for Homeless Children and the programs/services it offers to homeless children and families. For more information, visit www.horizonsforhomelesschildren.org.
Special thanks to all involved in the production of this video, including Redtree Productions, Jay Williams, Richard Klug, Soundtrack Boston, Alex Lasarenko at Tonal Sound and Mary Richardson. Thanks also to all of the children, families, volunteers and HHC staff who helped share the story.
Update 13 Mar 09:
A Tent City Near You? Tell Us About It Arthur Delaney Huffington Post
There are reports of tent cities popping up across the country as unemployment rises in a worsening economy. The biggest and highest-profile shantytown is in Sacramento, where hundreds of newly-homeless tent residents are cooking soup in old coffee cans. We want to know where else this is happening. HuffPost readers: Is there a tent city near you? Have you noticed a newly-formed community of people living together in improvised housing in a public space? Email us! Send any information you’ve got (or pictures) to submissions+homeless@huffingtonpost.com. Sacramento’s KCRA reported this week that city officials plan to shut the tent city down:
There are reports of tent cities popping up across the country as unemployment rises in a worsening economy. The biggest and highest-profile shantytown is in Sacramento, where hundreds of newly-homeless tent residents are cooking soup in old coffee cans.
We want to know where else this is happening.
HuffPost readers: Is there a tent city near you? Have you noticed a newly-formed community of people living together in improvised housing in a public space? Email us! Send any information you’ve got (or pictures) to submissions+homeless@huffingtonpost.com.
Sacramento’s KCRA reported this week that city officials plan to shut the tent city down:
Sacramento’s ‘Tent City’ To Be Closed
Campers in a large tent city at the north end of downtown Sacramento will be told to leave the property with their belongings within a few weeks, assistant city manager Cassandra Jennings said Wednesday.
The Obama-Biden administration has the power to make sure that everyone has good, clean food. Change This stewardship agreement!
http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=090000648084de39
"Technology/stewardship agreements required for the purchase of genetically modified seed explicitly prohibit research. These agreements inhibit public scientists from pursuing their mandated role on behalf of the public good unless the research is approved by industry. As a result of restricted access, no truly independent research can be legally conducted on many critical questions regarding the technology, its performance, its management implications, IRM, and its interactions with insect biology. Consequently, data flowing to an EPA Scientific Advisory Panel from the public sector is unduly limited."
also see
"Rising Rhetoric on Genetically Modified Crops"in PR Watch, Volume 10, No. 1, 1st Quarter 2003.
"Their level of desperation appears to be increasing," says Michael Hansen, a scientist with Consumers Union in the US, who monitors the activities of the biotech industry as it lobbies for acceptance of genetically modified (GM) foods. Hansen has watched with increasing alarm as the pro-GM lobby escalates its vitriolic attacks on critics.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Rising_Rhetoric_on_Genetically_Modified_Crops
Look at our matrimonial ads. Parents from the 30% are every day seeking alliance from well settled brides / grooms in UK, US, Canada, Australia and Europe. Every one of our ruling elites, including the PM, President, nationalist party leaders and policy makers have their sons and daughters settled in these nations.
Let us look around our neighbours. While bollywood movies and Indian people are loved by everyone around the world, we pretend ignorant to the fact that there is a growing aversion towards India in the SAARC region. While the traditional hatred between India and Pakistan is well known, why India could not build a cordial relationship with any of it’s neighbours Bangladesh, Srilanka, Nepal and China?. We can not close our eyes to the fact that the entire subcontinent is gravitating towards China and very soon India may be left all alone.
The “holier than thou” attitude and unreasonable boasting of intellectual prowess by repeatedly quoting certain phrases like Einstein’s “We owe a lot to Indians who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made”, “worlds largest democracy” etc while the genocides, corrupt judiciary, quality of life, deteriorating infrastrature and weeping poverty speaks otherwise, generates a sense of hypocrisy and disillusion about India in the minds of weaker neighbours.Dr.Manmohan Singh knows these geopolitical dynamics very well and realised that he can't have an Indo-US nuclear deal under his arms and extend the hand of friendship to China as well. Simply put, China did not buy his bluff. In this context, China is emerging as a defacto leader of the subcontinent and all our "weaker neighbours" have started signing "deals and pacts" with China. Obviously, one can not have his cake and eat it too.
Hope, we are not moving towards taking pride in glorified tragedies like “slumdog millionaire”.
Bailout is only temporary solutions to cover what lost by financial or other industrial sectors. Bailout money is public money used to cover incurred by rich sectors. This adjustment to relieve them is may be by pruning necessary social projects or overburdening its citizens with direct or indirect taxes. More taxes mean lesser expenditure is best way to worsen economic growth. Bailout does not mean better future of these sectors due to low financial demand from loss making or reduced output of industries. Final decision of moving economy is by the final customers who already have lost to high living cost. Improving citizens buying power would yield the result. Change would need to:
Empower population with buying power, for instant relief would be to tax freedom to working population with condition to utilize in consumption. And soft loan to industries to increase production. So together can move economy.
Encourage Small and medium industrial sectors for more employment.
Nearly 40 million Americans are living in poverty. Steps needed to minimize.
Research and investments in rural economy. and agro based industries. Would be more helpful for Job creation.
