Letter | It’s time to do something about poverty other than study it
We read news reports that Gov. Tim Kaine appointed Arlington State Del. David Englin to yet another commission to study poverty in Virginia. While we certainly welcome that the governor’s and the General Assembly’s desire to measure the extent of poverty in Arlington and Virginia, we’re puzzled by the call to “study” what census data and other readily available information already make clear — significant levels of poverty and hunger exist statewide and in Arlington.
It’s time for Virginia Democrats and Republicans, including Kaine and Englin, to change state laws and policies that would actually reduce poverty rather than wasting time and resources trying to “measure” it.
Researchers and advocates for the poor already highlight the steps that would greatly reduce poverty and hunger in Arlington and in far southwestern Virginia:
1. Raise the Virginia minimum wage of $6.55 an hour to the living wage rate of $12.50 an hour (which is based on the federal poverty level for a family of four).
2. Lower the regressive Virginia 9-percent effective tax rate on people making less than $20,000 a year (those making over $200,000 pay only 4 percent).
3. Raise the miserly Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) assistance provided to children ($80 a month), and the disabled, and stop the State of Virginia from using federal TANF funds designed to go to the poor for other state programs, such as highways.
4. Finally, eliminate laws and restrictions that deny unemployment compensation and food stamps to Virginia’s working poor and unemployed.
The Democrats and Republicans (each for different reasons) wish to divert the public’s attention away from concrete steps that would directly reduce poverty and hunger in our state that largely affect children, the working poor, the elderly, and the disabled. The time to study poverty is past; it is time to make Virginia laws and policies work to relieve poverty and hunger, and give our friends and neighbors a helping hand.
- Letter from John Reeder, Josh Ruebner, Suzanne Sundburg
Related posts:
- Kaine announces formation of Poverty Reduction Taskforce Gov. Timothy M. Kaine today announced the creation of Virginia’s Poverty Reduction Taskforce, a collection of public and private-sector partners who will make policy recommendations...
- Letter | John Horejsi The recently established Governor’s Poverty Taskforce and Poverty Summit, an event held in Richmond on May 7th, has been given extensive coverage. I find it...
- Life on the edge: What can we do to eradicate poverty? The Top Story by Chris Graham Mary works – she’s not supposed to; in fact, her doctor has ordered her not to. “But I have...
- Letter | Bud Levin It’s hard to tell how serious you are about your column on the leaked Fusion Center report. If you’re just trying to build up readership,...
- Reading the megasite-study tea leaves The Top Story by Chris Graham Augusta County officials have vigorously resisted making details of a 400-page report on a proposed industrial megasite in the...
Thaere is a drawing of a man slapping his forehead, saying “Not that crap again”.
After the title of this letter, I’m slapping my head too. I agree that we don’t need “another stinkin commission”. We need action, but action based on facts, not wishful thinking.
Re the Virginia minimum wage and raising it to $12.50 from $6.55. Unless you are hiring people, shut up. You don’t know what the small businessman/woman can afford to pay in wages unless you are one of them. I was.
I’m glad that Reeder, Ruebner and Sundburg are experts on Arlington. If so, check out the taxes on consumer goods. How about that $90 permit to buy a new gas stove? Didn’t know about that? I wonder why?
How about Arlington’s property taxes (in my case), being more than my Federal and State income taxes combined, and I’m on a limited income/work schedule.
I’m all for a reform of the Va. tax rates, period. However, I’ll leave that to people who know the Virginia economic situation as to where they should be cut.
Re TANF. If there is a legitimate reason to raise the rate, do it if there is money to do so, and if this requires the state stopping the use of TANF funds for highways, so be it.
You need to define “Virginia’s working poor and unemployed” before you “eliminate laws and restrictions that deny unemployment compensation and food stamps” to them. Does this include illegal foreign nationals as well as legal US/VA citizens? If so, why?
I love the leftist line “children, the working poor, the elderly, and the disabled.” Reminds me of Radio Hanoi’s claims that US bombers were killing only “children, women, the elderly” in Vietnam.
You need to know why a person is unemployed in order to help them. Do they need more education, retraining, to get off some type of addiction, to learn work habits, personal hygiene, etc? You don’t hire a a bank cashier to run a corporation. Only Obama can do that, and has.
Once you know what problems a person faces re employment and/or social service aid, then you know where to start. You can’t be like Obama and throw billions of dollars at banks and then lose track of them. Money has to be targetted to where it will be most effective.
Virginia owes it to the taxpayers to be responsible in how they spend their money, and helping the less fortunate is certainly a part of state services. However, you need to know the whole story before you start spending someone else’s money.
For Reeder, Ruebner and Sundburg, if you feel that you want to give very generous donations to charities who help the needy, try AMEN, Salvation Army, ALIVE, SOME, etc., all are who active in Arlington, and other places as well.
PS: THere is coal in SW Virginia. Mining it would give a lot of people jobs. Put that in your environmental pipe and smoke it.
I’m wondering whether or not the Free Press needs an injection of humor. I”ve got this little thing called “The Podunk Times/Picayune” that I think might be amusing to the almost voluminous readership of My favorite rag. Test me…I would be content to sweep the copy room floors for a chance for you to read me. I would even dust, if I were to be allowed to be let loose on the public.