Poverty

illustration of salary comparison, inequality concept

What’s Being Done to Reduce Wealth Inequality in the US?

Wealth inequality has grown in recent years. There are nearly 1,000 billionaires in the U. S. and the wealthiest Americans have never been richer. In contrast, poor and working-class Americans have seen their incomes stagnate and fall. Discovery Fellow Nathan Lewis joined NPR to discuss what can be done to reduce wealth inequality in the United States. Read More ›
Sad teen sitting in an alleyway all alone at night.

Washington State Police Reforms Fail the Mentally Ill

When Governor Jay Inslee signed into law a dozen new police reforms on May 18, he called them “a moral mandate” that would “create a system of accountability and integrity stronger than anywhere else in the nation.” According to proponents, the new laws are intended to protect citizens from unreasonable uses of force and to hold police accountable when they step out of line. Such reforms swept the nation in the wake of last summer’s demonstrations after the death of George Floyd. But a Facebook post from the Sedro-Woolley Police Department illustrates the way these laws are neglecting some of the most at-need in the state’s communities. “The last Legislative Session in Olympia has resulted in multiple changes in how we do Read More ›

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A New American Poverty

The new American poverty is not primarily an economic phenomenon – it has become a social, familial and psychological problem that reaches the very foundations of our social order. Read More ›
Photo by Michael Longmire
person using syringe on yellow stone on spoon

“Safe Injection Sites” Aren’t Safe, Effective or Wise. Just Ask Canadians

If you've never heard of "safe injection sites" — public facilities for drug users to consume heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine under the supervision of medical staff — you probably will soon. In cities such as Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco, drug legalization activists have launched a campaign to create such sites. Read More ›
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Unconscious on the Street
Photo by Johnny Cohen at Unsplash

The Harm in “Harm Reduction”

As cities in the United States, including San Francisco, Denver, Philadelphia, and Seattle, consider opening their own safe-injection sites, they should understand the full consequences of these practices. Read More ›
Photo by Anthony Garand
We The people text

To Hell with Main Street?

In times of trouble, Americans rally around a common cause. After Pearl Harbor, we liberated much of the world; during the Cold War, we sent a man to the moon. There was a shared sensibility that Americans were unified in pursuit of the highest ideals. But after some shocks, this sense of unity proves short-lived — and shortsighted. Read More ›