Poverty Through One Neighborhood’s Lens
July 10, 2007
The systemic and personal issues that keep poverty alive can be overwhelming. There is a lot to do; there are a lot of issues to address. Sometimes it helps to look in one place, like a single neighborhood, to gain some perspective.
Take a look at this snapshot that appeared in this article from the Mobile Press-Register. It reports on the neighborhood of Alabama Village, a section of town in Prichard, part of the Mobile metropolitan area. Challenging stuff, but it’s important to look at these problems head on – and close up.
A Pediatrician’s View
Speaking of perspective, here’s an article from the Montgomery Advertiser that takes a look at the current conversation concerning the SCHIP program and its continued funding. Let’s take the doctor’s medical and social advice on this one!
Religion, Politics, and Poverty
From our neighboring state to the north comes this article in which the writer has some wide-ranging opinions about the way religion has an impact on politics in general and poverty in particular.
Notice his mention of an HBO film, The Fever. I did not see the movie, but a trailer and other information at the HBO website intrigue me. I hope perhaps they will show this one, not currently on the schedule, again.
Speaking of Religion…
Randy Brinson, the new leader of the Alabama chapter of the Christian Coalition, wrote a recent piece that describes that group’s broadening agenda. Adequate education for our children, health care for all our citizens, and “financial independence” for everyone are among those new, broader issues. With the need for evangelical Christians in our state to become involved in the elimination of poverty, Brinson’s article comes as welcome news.
Our State – Taxed Enough?
The top story in today’s Birmingham News is about where we rank nationally in state and local taxes paid by Alabama folks. We are dead last – fiftieth – in this category. While the governor believes this is a point of pride, others say that our revenue is simply not adequate to fund desired state services.
That points to one of the basic issues concerning tax policy: is it fair, is it balanced, and is it enough? To be sure, it’s not fair, it’s certainly not balanced, and it’s hard to argue that revenue matches need in our state.
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