A Few Quick Looks

Let me just give you a few links to items of interest I’ve recently run across:

The Rush for Excellent Students and Its Impact on the Poor

The Alabama Crimson ran a story this week about how frenetic the competition is becoming to attract the best students to colleges and universities. In an effort to be most effective, high-achieving students are being lured with massive scholarships, sometimes including all expenses – tuition, room and board, books – the works.

While one might have a hard time criticizing such efforts, there is some question as to how this impacts students who may have a greater need for such scholarships. Sometimes such packages go to students who will have little trouble paying for college anyway, while low-income, also deserving, students could be left out as monies are drained away in the competition.

NPR also had a story about this just yesterday. You can read it or listen to that story here.

Governor Forms New Commission to Address Poverty Issues

Governor Riley recently announced the establishment of the Rural Alabama Action Commission “to coordinate efforts aimed at improving the quality of life in the state’s rural areas.” Like the Black Belt Action Commission, this group will address matters of education, health care, and economic development.

There’s some political blowback on this development, related to previous legislation and the man hired to serve as director of the RAAC. Let’s hope the best for this new effort, for the benefit of those who need it most.

Comparing Alabama and Minnesota

Once again our state is used as an example of doing things the wrong way. A recent column from Lansing, Michigan compares Alabama and Minnesota in regard to taxes, employment, and higher education. Here’s a part of the writer’s conclusions:

Alabama has the lowest combined state and local taxes in the nation, ranking 50th in both taxes as percentage of personal income and taxes per capita. They have the lowest taxes - and a per capita income $3,000 less than Michigan.

Minnesota's per capita taxes are $1,400 higher than Alabama - but it's (sic) per capita income is $7,700 a year higher than Alabama. So much for the theory that low taxes leads to a strong economy!

A simple, but compelling, point.

Calculating a Living Wage in Alabama

Here’s what’s described as a “living wage calculator,” discovered by APP intern Adam Glendye. You can search for information statewide, by county or even by city. This instrument suggests, for instance, that a living wage for Gulf Shores, for a family of four, is $19.62.

The Benefits of Pre-K Education

One more…I wrote recently about the benefits of pre-K programs in Alabama. Here’s an article about the successes of such programs in Oklahoma, instructive also for us.

Check it out

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