Browsing Category
Urban Exile
The Political Agenda of the Michigan GOP Has Created Economic Apartheid, Not Jobs
by Rob Smith
On December 12, 2012 Governor Rick Snyder was quoted in the Detroit Free Press as saying that "Michigan is well-positioned for a comeback." A few days later, for the third year, Forbes Magazine ranked Michigan 47th in Forbes’…
Urban Exile: A Dispatch From the 47 Percent
by Livia Gershon
This summer, I was chatting with my parents, and I happened to mention that my husband and I pay pretty much no federal income taxes. My dad was shocked. What about withholdings from your paychecks, he asked. I said we get…
Urban Exile: A View From the Bottom
by B. Mann
It’s morning. I think of what day it is. God, please let it not be the 15th. I don’t have the money for the payroll taxes. Oh wait... did I pay the truck? Shit! I didn’t pay the truck. I hope that check comes today. It’s…
The “Sustainable” Mantra — Organic, Local, and Slow — Won’t Save the World’s Hungry Millions
by Robert Paarlberg
From Whole Foods recyclable cloth bags to Michelle Obama's organic White House garden, modern eco-foodies are full of good intentions. We want to save the planet. Help local farmers. Fight climate change — and childhood…
Judge Reverses Snyder Administration Removal of 11K Mich. Families From Welfare
by Rob Smith
It's been a tough couple of weeks for Governor Rick Snyder in the Michigan courts. First a Wayne County judge declared closed-door meetings of the finance team which had been evaluating whether Detroit should be forced to…
Urban Exile: It All Begins With Childhood Poverty
by F. Zakaria
Remember Mitt Romney's infamous "poor" comment? If not, here it is again: "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich; they're…
Urban Exile: “Entitlement” Is A Dirty Word Because Liberals Capitulated
by James Jackson
I can not stand the idea of entitlements.
An entitlement is something that a person believes s/he deserves without any questions or limitations. An entitlement is something a person receives because s/he believes it is…
Urban Exile: Food Stamps 101
by K. Frank
I line up with about twenty others in the waiting room. Each one of us is holding a white envelope containing information and forms to fill out to apply for food stamps. We’re escorted by a uniformed police officer through the…
Urban Exile: Out of Work and Out of Time
by Leslie Basden
I got a job interview yesterday and was offered a position. It’s the first interview I’ve had in about a year. I can blanket my field with resumes and not receive a single call. My job consists of counseling others to help…
Urban Exile: Poll—88 Percent of American Voters Say Candidates Should Focus on Poverty
by J.D. Berman
Now that we're officially in the 2012 election cycle, candidates for office may want to take note of a new poll on voter attitudes toward poverty and opportunity. According to a survey commissioned by Spotlight on Poverty,…
