The Rise and Fall of Government: The Anomalies of Guaranteed Incomes in Mayor Lightfoot’s Campaign for re-election
Whatever the outcome, the spread of basic income programs is a reminder of the growing divide between Democrats and Republicans, urban voters and rural conservatives, those who want more government in people’s lives and those who want less.
Robert Rector is a conservative public assistance expert at the Heritage Foundation who helped shaped the welfare changes of the 1990s, he said that there is no indication that the American public wants more aid for people who choose not to work.
But in Democratic cities, in states deep blue and bright red, such as Columbia, S.C., Shreveport, La., and Birmingham, Ala., political leaders are moving in the opposite direction. Mayor Lightfoot may be in the throes of a difficult campaign for re-election, but none of her eight rivals for the Democratic mayoral nomination ahead of the first round of voting on Feb. 28 have made an issue of her guaranteed income effort.
“These are the same people that didn’t want to expand health care, and look at the number of people in their communities, these ruby red communities, that are suffering,” Ms. Lightfoot said. The people who are attacking the core of our democracy are the same people who demonize being different, the same as the other, who you love, and your gender identity.
Adrian Talbott, associate dean for civic engagement at the Crown Family School of Social Work at the University of Chicago, called the effort “a prime example of Democrats’ assertion that government can work.” He added that the expectation was, “with big bets on behalf of traditionally marginalized, vulnerable populations in light of the pandemic, government can meet this moment.”
250 percent of the poverty level is forgiven by Chicago and Cook County if you have an annual income of $36,450 for an individual and $75,000 for a family of four.
Bringing Out the Gloom: The Poor People’s Campaign: Why Are Food Banks and Signature Banks Being Saved? When Will Social Assistance Benefits Continue to Grow?
The Revs. have an editor’s note. The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival has two co-chairs, Bill J. Barber II and Liz Theoharis. The views expressed in this commentary are of their own. There is more opinion on CNN.
Johnson rationalized the cuts by telling Politico that “work is the only path out of poverty.” This moralizing demonization of needy families is not only tired and offensive, but it overlooks that the majority of food stamp recipients already work hard to care for their families, with many unable to pay their bills despite juggling multiple low-wage jobs.
These cuts are also happening as food prices are soaring and families are already experiencing unacceptable levels of hunger and want. In fact, when expanded SNAP benefits were extended a year ago, at least 53 million Americans still relied on food banks or community programs to keep themselves half-decently fed, according to a Feeding America report.
In one of the richest nations in the world, we have to come to terms with societal failure at the root of mass hunger. Why is food assistance benefits going to be cut when the high-earning depositors of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank are being saved?
These uninsured families find themselves back in the company of the 87 million people who were uninsured or underinsured before the pandemic started. It is obvious that health care cuts can lead to death. To be exact, researchers at Harvard Medical School found that the number of uninsured Americans increased by roughly 2.3 million from 2016-2019, resulting in as many as 25,180 deaths.
The average CEO made 670 times more than their median workers in 2021, according to a survey last year by the progressive think tank Institute for Policy Studies, and yet the federal minimum wage remains at $7.25 and has not increased since 2009. The research shows that raising the minimum wage by $1 could cause fewer people to take their own lives. A recent study by Columbia University found a troubling association between low wages and higher mortality rates, suggesting minimum wage increases could prevent unnecessary deaths.
If these politicians were serious about lifting the load of poverty, they would fund necessary food programs and raise the minimum wage to a living wage. Poor people don’t work, and there’s a scarcity of resources that makes poverty not exist.
We have a lack of political will and moral consciousness. The political and moral will of those in power is being directed to other priorities. Helping the wealthy even as the poor look down at a barrel of cuts that will leave them in fear of going to the hospital is something I want to be a part of.
America needs a wake-up call. A lot of people are dying because of poverty, hunger, despair and inequality. They are making sure the poor are well off. We will not remain silent about this problem since it has been going on for such a long time.