Remember when we learned about interest groups??

Well, that got me thinking, are there any interest groups for the poor/homeless? I'm glad I asked myself that because there ARE interest groups that serve just that purpose. Several of them actually.

As we already know, interest groups are organized groups of individuals sharing common beliefs about the current political system who actively attempt to influence policymaking (off the top of my head! Woo-hoo!)

Here are a few of the ones I researched. Pay close attention; there will be a quiz at the end of this blog.

Fannie Mae- You might have heard of this group since the recession started. Their main goal is to help prevent foreclosures (foreclosures have greatly increased the number of people living on the street since 2008).
http://www.fanniemae.com/index.html

National Center for Homeless Education- Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, this interest group wishes to meet the educational needs of children in poverty.
http://www.serve.org/nche/index.php

National Coalition for the Homeless- Their goal: to end homelessness. How?: by focusing on four areas: housing justice, economic justice, health care justice, and civil rights, along with organizing several educational programs and annual events.
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/index.html

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans- Homeless veterans make up for about 23% of the homeless population. This interest group makes government programs available to the country's homeless veterans to help them get out of poverty. 
http://www.nchv.org/index.cfm

National Student Campaign for Hunger and Homelessness-This group is dedicated to the education of students so that they may meet the immediate needs of people living in poverty and advocate for long-term policy change. 
http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/home

Of all the interest groups I researched, I would join YouthBuild USA  because they focus on people (specifically kids) in high-risk areas/ situations so that we may prevent the behavior that leads to a life in poverty.
http://www.youthbuild.org/site/c.htIRI3PIKoG/b.1223921/k.BD3C/Home.htm

That's it for now folks... no quiz this time!

Poverty in G- Rap

Last week, our school newspaper did an cover story on the rising poverty level in Grand Rapids. It's a pretty interesting article and the topic hits close to home. You all should check it out!

http://www.lanthorn.com/m/15-poverty

One word, many reactions.

WELFARE!

Democrats love it. Republicans hate it. But in times like these, there's no getting around it. Low-income or no-income citizens can't simply be told to "get a job". They need help to get back on their feet plus a system that supplies incentives to not stay in the system. That's where we come in. A government needs to look after its people and more importantly, people need to look after each other. This is where that whole individual interest vs. collective interest thing becomes a problem. Sure no one wants to pay more taxes. The fact of the matter is that a nation cannot prosper when its people aren't properly taken care of. When about 54% of our tax money is spent on defense (i.e. military, weapons, and war.... YUCK!), I think we can consider some serious budget reconstruction so that no human being goes hungry under our watch.


Now it's time to dispel some myths about the current welfare system.... GET EXCITED!
Myth: People on welfare are usually black, teenage mothers who stay on ten years at a time.
Fact: Most welfare recipients are non-black, adult and on welfare less than two years at a time.
-Over half of all recipients stay on welfare for two years or less.
-Teenagers form less than 8 percent of all welfare mothers.

 Just some food for thought. That was fun, wasn't it?

Until next time...

P.S. If you're interested in sources for this data, just let me know! :)