Perspectives on Social Issues
(June 2004)
Benefit Bank Lifts People out of Poverty
"Tens of millions of Americans suffer in poverty, yet many qualify for scores of public and privately funded benefits that they do not receive. Every year, more than $35 million of already appropriated or entitlement funds go uncollected, as potential applicants face an array of barriers. They may not know about specific benefits, lack transportation to benefit offices, or become discouraged by complicated and confusing forms. The Benefit Bank, created by Solutions for Progress, Inc., addresses these concerns with a program that allows a person to file for all appli-cable benefits from a single computer -- and to do so with the assistance of a counselor in a trusted setting. Backed by a research team that regularly updates Benefit Bank software, the program can add up to $10,000 annually to the after-tax income of an eligible family.
Houses of worship and other faith group facilities are ideal sites in which to implement the program, and, as a national Benefit Bank sponsor, the NCC (National Council of Churches USA) is exploring that promise. All that is required of hosts is Internet access, a counselor with basic computer skills, and an interest in helping to lift people out of poverty. With the Benefit Bank fully operational in the Philadelphia area, the NCC is working with partners to expand the program to other communities and states. Learn more at www.solfopro.com/sfp/Projects/ thebenefitbank.htm."
"The Benefit Bank," EcuLink, National Council of Churches USA, Spring 2004.
"Environmental Peacemaking"
"A new movement dubbed "environmental peacemaking" is creating opportunities for hostile neighboring nations to cooperate rather than go to war. In one recent example, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan -- contenders for oil deposits in the Caspian Sea -- agreed to put aside competition and instead cooperate on a five-year environmental project to clean up the Caspian. A joint research project on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem will bring together Cuban and U.S. scientists, with government support from both nations. In addition, the number of protected transnational "peace parks" in border areas with ecological significance has increased, easing tensions between nations."
"Hosannas: Peace on Earth" Wayfarers Along the Road, The Other Side, May/June 2004.
Statistics to Reflect On
"Value of the amount of lost fuel and productivity resulting from traffic congestion in the U.S. each year: $69.5 billion
Percent of trips taken by bicycle or walking in the U.S.: 6
Percent of trips taken by bicycle or walking in the Netherlands: 28
Bicyclist fatality rates per 100 million trips in the U.S.: 21
Bicyclist fatality rates per 100 million trips in the Netherlands: 1.6
Year that Jimmy Carter installed the first solar panels on the White House: 1979
Year that Ronald Reagan removed them: 1980
Number of solar panels installed at the White House under the current Bush administration: 167
Proposed cuts in Bush's 2005 budget for renewable energy research and development programs, including solar: $29 million
Rank of Nigeria among the world's nations for percent of citizens reporting that they are happy: 1
Rank of the United States: 16
Rank of Nigeria's per capita gross daily product:(GDP): 211
Rank of United States' GDP: 2
Percent of Americans who consider having a home computer as a necessity: 33
Percent of Nigerians who do not have access to safe drinking water: 70
Number of broadcast TV stations in Nigeria: 3
Number of broadcast TV stations in the U.S.: more than 1,500
Percent reduction in crime in the U.S. from 1990 to 1998: 20
Precent increase in crime reported in network TV news from 1990 to 1998: 83."
"The Page That Counts, Yes! A Journal of Positive Futures, Summer 2004.
Young People Vote when Registered
"More than two-thirds of all adults between the ages of 18 and 24 did not vote in the 2000 election. When asked why they had not participated, respondents cited being too busy (24 percent), travelling out of town (12 percent) and having no interest (12 percent). More than half (55 percent) of the citizens in this age group were not even registered to vote. Voter registration is key. When these young adults take the time to register, their turnout is impressive. In November 2000, 71 percent of those 18 to 24-year-olds who had registered to vote exercised that right. That's why so many voter registration drives are geared toward young adults. But it's not only to get these voters to the polls while they're young. By targeting this population now, organizations such as NETWORK hope to in- still in them a lifetime habit of voting."
"Young Voters Turn Out -- But Only if Theyre' Registered," NETWORK Connection, May/June 2004.
"Trickle-down Injustice"
"Bush's tax policy is aimed at drastically reducing government services and moving the tax burden to poorer wage-earners. The result: a cast of "trickle-down injustice.... Federal tax cuts in 2001, 2002, and 2003 have fueled massive deficits and blocked possibilities for spending on human needs. These tax cuts have "trickled down" to worsen state and local budget deficits, forcing deep cuts in spending on poverty, health care, and education. Almost every state has been plunged into its worst budget crisis since World War II. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, states are facing budget gaps totaling $85 billion in the coming year.
As a result, localities have laid off teachers, firefighters, police officers, and social workers; closed libraries and health clinics; cut childcare, mental health services, public transit, and pollution control; raised public college tuition and reduced financial aid; and let schools, playgrounds, roads, and bridges go unrepaired. Oregon shortened its school year by three weeks. Thirty-four states have cut spending on Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program over the past two years, removing between 1.2 million and 1.6 million low-income people from health coverage, including an estimated 490,000 to 650,000 children. The list goes on.
Most state and local taxes are highly regressive, impos-ing a higher burden on the poor than the wealthy. According to the Citizens for Tax Justice, the average state and local tax rate for the bottom fifth of income earners is 11.4 percent, more than twice the rate paid by the richest 1 percent of taxpayers. In some states, such as Washington and Florida, the poorest fifth of taxpayers pay as much as 14 percent of their income; the wealthiest 1 percent pay less than 3.5 percent."
"Shrink, Shift, and Shaft" by Chuck Collins, Sojourners Magazine, April 2004.
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Gratitude to the Institute for Peace and Justice
for use of their Pope Paul VIth graphic. |
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