In 2021, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a worker needs to earn $20.40 per hour to be able to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment anywhere in the country. That’s an annual salary of $40,800 – more than twice what Brookings refers to as the median wage for low-wage work.
Commentary
School Surveillance of Students Through Laptops May Be Doing More Harm Than Good
Student surveillance is taking place – at taxpayer expense – in cities and school communities throughout the United States. In one large district, three-quarters of incidents reported – that is, cases where the system flagged students’ online activity – took place outside school hours.
U.S. Military Is Single-Largest Polluter in the World. And Hides It.
If the US military were a country, its fuel usage alone would make it the 47th largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, sitting between Peru and Portugal. In other words, the US military is a more consequential climate actor than many of the industrialized countries gathered at the COP26 summit in Glasgow.
Nicaragua’s Ortega Helped Overthrow a Dictator. Now He Is One.
Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo have managed to cling on to power. There are many reasons for their political survival, including the opposition’s fragmentation, a repressive state apparatus, and a lack of international pressure. What is too often overlooked, though, is that for many Nicaraguans, the FSLN remains the only political party that represents the interests of the poor.
What Greta Thunberg and Sweden Teach Us About Youth Empowerment
Children’s participation in social and political issues has been facilitated by specific notions of childhood in the Nordic countries. The idea of the autonomous and competent child has been described by researchers as a characteristic feature of the “Nordic model of childhood”, influencing child rearing and public policy for several decades. While the elements of this model are not unique to the region, the notion has had a lasting impact upon several generations of Swedish children, teaching them the value of independence and to make their voices heard.
Corporal Punishment Is Child Abuse. Florida Law Must Stop Protecting It.
Under Florida law, child abuse is legal as long as the violence doesn’t amount to intentional, malicious harm. There is no age cut off. There are no limits on what means are used to brutalize a child. The law is a leftover from barbaric days.
How to Spend $1 Trillion on Infrastructure
The bill is the largest investment in the nation’s infrastructure in decades. It puts about US$240 billion toward building or rebuilding roads, bridges, public transit, airports and railways. More than $150 billion is slated for projects that address climate change, like building electric vehicle charging stations, upgrading energy grids and production to work better with renewables, and making public transit more environmentally sustainable.
Today’s Flooding Is No Fluke. Sea Levels Are Rising.
Climate change, fueled by fossil fuel use and other human activities, is causing average global surface temperatures to rise. This is leading the ocean to absorb more heat than it did before the industrial era began. That, in turn, is causing ocean thermal expansion.
Lessons from the Virginia Governor’s Race
Many voters wanted to hear both candidates’ views on “kitchen table” issues – such as expanding job opportunities, ensuring public safety, and reforming education – in the closing weeks before the election. But that wasn’t always what voters got. Instead, they were often presented not with the issues, but with heavyweight political endorsements.
LGBTQ Life Is Flourishing in Small-Town America
LGBTQ people in rural places and small towns are often ignored in the larger conversation surrounding queer life and culture. Even with these omissions, Pride celebrations in those locations are sweeping the nation (including Palm Coast), often encountering initial resistance.