New data from the U.S. Census Bureau makes one thing clear: public programs work. Data from the 2024 Supplemental Poverty Measure shows child poverty in Michigan would double without supportive public policies like refundable tax credits, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ...
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) works with 38 countries supplying data they can use to improve policy decisions. They recently released data showing the U.S. ranked 28th out of 37 OECD countries in numeracy abilities. In other words, how well do American adults ...
My two boys recently got new passports. The little books are gorgeously designed. On thick paper, drawings are etched of wheat fields and farmers, statues and monuments. Quotes from great Americans - former Presidents George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, as well as the ...
In one of his classic New Jersey ballads, Bruce Springsteen sings of the sun "rising over them refinery towers." If New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy had gotten his way, the Boss would need to update the lyric to rhapsodize about enormous wind turbines looming on the horizon instead. Murphy's ...
First, the good. There was a contest in 2000 that decades before Julius Erving and Michael Jordan made into "must watch TV"; it was the NBA's Slam Dunk contest. The victor that year, Vince Carter, practically coined the phrase "it's over" and made a recognizable gesture after an incredible slam ...
Amid discussions about furloughs and firings of federal employees, we often forget that most are ordinary citizens trying to make ends meet. Some hold these jobs for the benefits they provide, and others because they genuinely enjoy helping people and take pride in where they work. We must not ...