“Is It a Crime to Be Poor?,” by Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times. “In the 1830s, the civilized world began to close debtors’ prisons, recognizing them as barbaric and also silly: The one way to ensure that citizens cannot repay debts is to lock them up.”
“Churches wage war against child hunger,” by Brian Kaylor, Baptist News Global. “As the last bell rings in late May or early June, throngs of schoolkids rush from their school to celebrate the start of summer. More time to play games, more opportunities to sleep and less homework. Yet, for some children, summer also means fewer meals.”
“Debt Bill Pays Some Attention to Puerto Rico’s High Child Poverty Rate,” by Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News. “As the debt crisis has unfolded in Puerto Rico, much of the discussion has been about bonds, creditors, fiscal policy and oversight boards. But for some, the focus has been on another issue that has not made as many headlines, and that is child poverty. On the U.S. territory, 57 percent of children live in poverty.”
“Work Requirements Don’t Work,” by Chad Stone, U.S News & World Report. “A key tenet of the new House GOP poverty plan is that able-bodied people shouldn’t get benefits unless they’re in the labor force (working or actively looking for work) or training to be in it. That approach might advance Republican budget goals of cutting anti-poverty spending, but it won’t cut poverty, according to this report on work-requirement research by my Center on Budget colleague LaDonna Pavetti.”
“As More US Children Go Hungry, Nonprofit Helps Fill Gaps,” by Aru Pande, Voice of America. “It’s 8:30 a.m. on a weekday, and a line of hungry students is already forming at the door of the Thomas Johnson Middle School cafeteria in this Washington suburb.”
“Worst forms of famine see decline,” by Eva Botkin-Kowacki, The Christian Science Monitor. “Gone are the days of “calamitous” famines.”
