The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported last week that even with improvements in the economy, food stamp participation rates have reached all-time highs. Since 2008, enrollment has increased by 70 percent, reaching a record 47.8 million this past December. Funding for the food stamp program—or, as it’s now called the …
When someone says “minimum wage,” what comes to mind? Do you think of teenagers flipping burgers? Or a single parent trying to feed several kids? While President Obama and other proponents of a higher minimum wage want you to visualize that single parent, the truth is that a burger-flipping teenager …
“I must go to college!” insists eight-year-old Pierre William. Such planning may seem unusual in a second grader. But Pierre is lucky. He’s attending a private school in the District of Columbia using funds from the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. That’s opened his eyes to the possibilities that only a …
At the end of the year, many people take time to make charitable donations. But caring for those in need is a year-round responsibility—and when it comes to public policy, conservatives have an important opportunity to articulate an effective response to poverty and social breakdown in America. A half-century into …
At Tuesday night’s Kemp Foundation Leadership Award Dinner, Representative Paul Ryan (R–WI) and Senator Marco Rubio (R–FL) talked about ways to promote opportunity, battle poverty, and get the country back on track. Both men aim to further successful reforms triggered by former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and longtime …
Strong marriage and family relationships are crucial to fighting poverty. This was the message shared by grassroots leaders at an anti-poverty conference sponsored by The Heritage Foundation and the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise this past September. These leaders shared firsthand experience and common-sense intuition about poverty reduction. They explained what …
Americans will gather around Thanksgiving tables this week to reflect on the past year and give thanks for the blessings of family, friends, and fundamental freedoms like religious liberty. For Peter, his gratitude this holiday is simple: “I’m thankful for shelter and food.” Earlier this fall, Peter stood outside the …
This week, nearly 100 policymakers, practitioners, and administrators met in Washington, D.C., to discuss new solutions for the complex issue of poverty. Among the topics discussed was the nation’s foster care and adoption system. Roughly 400,000 children languish in today’s system, in which they will likely experience multiple, periodic placements …
The recently concluded presidential campaign contained a substantial amount of China-bashing from two candidates fighting over who would be tougher on trade. In reality, getting tough on trade would mean getting tough on poor people and destroying U.S. jobs. A working paper from University of Chicago scholars Christian Broda and …
