When the economy crashed in 2008, millions of Americans lost their jobs. Applications for food stamps soared. So did attendance at emergency food providers—soup kitchens and food pantries—that help the estimated 50 million people, working and non-working, who can’t afford … Continue reading
If there’s one thing the media seem certain about this election season, it’s that the choice between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will come down to one thing: the economy.The “rhetorical debate question” from Ronald Reagan’s debate with Jimmy Carter, … Continue reading
As if being poor in New York City weren’t enough of an indignity — affordable apartments are nearly impossible to find, your kids go to schools with no classroom supplies because the parent associations can’t afford to foot the bill, … Continue reading
Why oil pipelines are “job creators” but unemployment benefits aren’t. (Not yet online, either sign up for a cheap $15 one-year digital subscription or cool your heels for a month or so.) When debate heated up in November over the … Continue reading
In the latest Village Voice Education Supplement, I investigate why college is getting so crazy expensive, and what if anything can be done about it: College tuition is, as any Occupy Wall Street demonstrator will tell you, too damn high. … Continue reading
Three years into the Great Recession, and the dramatic rise in unemployment that began in 2008 shows little sign of abating. While the unemployment rate has eased slightly in recent weeks, much of that is the result of jobless who’ve … Continue reading
Remember last Friday’s New York Times front-page story on how poverty rates aren’t as bad as we’d feared? Today the Census released the figures behind that piece, and it turns out even where the Times was right, it still missed … Continue reading
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has long insisted on reserving the right to require childless food stamp applicants to work for their benefits — even turning down the offer of a federal hardship waiver that 46 states have been … Continue reading
Now that the Yankees have been bounced from the playoffs, does this mean New York City is missing out on a postseason economic windfall? Naaaaaah: Now that the baseball season for Yankee fans comes down to what-ifs (Why couldn’t Joaquin … Continue reading
With the NBA lockout almost ready to swallow the regular season, I look at the evidence for what the impact will be on local economies in NBA cities. The answer: not a whole heckuva lot. After another fruitless round of … Continue reading