Empty Outrage: Suleman, Child Abuse & A Controversial Bill of Rights

A great deal of media attention has been paid to Nadya Suleman, the recent mother of octuplets by IVF.  The general consensus is that there’s something wrong with an unemployed mother of six choosing to have eight more children.  News pundits, psychologists, and the public have speculated about Suleman’s mental health, her motives, and [...]

Poverty Series Conclusion: Lamps, Logic, & Golden Doors

There is so much more I could write about poverty and the underclass in America, but there comes a point of saturation. It’s not my point, necessarily, but much of the public’s. I have never run out of words or passion when it comes to social issues, education, women, children, crime, class, or any of [...]

Poverty Series IV: In the Land of Plenty, A Sicker, Poorer Population

Few would argue that there is not a health care crisis in America.  We now rank 29th in infant mortality, behind countries such as Cuba, Slovakia, and Hungary.   Since 2000, according to a study by the non-partisan Kaiser Foundation, the average worker contribution for a family health insurance policy has increased 107%.   Over 45 million [...]

Poverty Series III: The Numbers Lie & Myths Abound

Eileen F. had an idyllic middle-class upbringing.  Reared by two loving parents, both professionals in their fields, she attended Ivy League schools and went on to become a teacher.  Now 58 years old and partially disabled, Eileen struggles to pay the $700 per month rent on her small cabin in upstate New York.  [...]

Poverty Series II: What is Being Poor in America?

While many are decrying McCain’s failure to mention the middle class in his debates, other classes have received far less mention this election season. Outside of derogatory references to Joe Six Pack, and the need for health insurance, the poor and working classes of America seem to have been largely excluded as a [...]

Poverty Series I: Beyond Joe & Jane Six-Pack and other Human Parodies

INTRODUCTION
We live in a world of instant everything. Every human situation, it seems, comes attached with cliches, platitudes, bromides, stereotypes and parodies. There is, conceivably, a box to place every person in, and a label to slap them with. There are also socially created barriers that inform perception, determine response, and decide [...]