I Couldn’t Have Said It Better Myself

From: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/05/24/529831472/trump-wants-families-on-food-stamps-to-get-jobs-the-majority-already-work When President Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, unveiled the administration’s budget blueprint earlier this week, which calls for significant cuts to food stamps, he noted that the aim of the budget was to get people working. “If you’re on food stamps and you’re able-bodied, we need you to go to work. If you’re

Another Hero’s Story

Chris Parker came to Manchester Arena as an anonymous beggar, positioning himself near the crowd of exiting Ariana Grande fans in hopes that he might pocket some spare change. Tragedy altered those plans: “It knocked me to the floor and then I got up and instead of running away my gut instinct was to run

Impact and Ideas

This is an excerpt from a report on the New York Times site.  Go there to read it in its entirety: WASHINGTON — A bill to dismantle the Affordable Care Act that narrowly passed the House this month would increase the projected number of people without health insurance by 14 million next year and by

True Nobility

I found this story on: Nearly $30,000 Raised for Homeless Man Who Helped Manchester Arena Attack Victims I chose excerpts to highlight something good that is coming out of a tragedy: A homeless man who was hailed as a hero after coming to the aid of the wounded as they fled the Manchester Arena following Monday’s deadly

Let’s Do Some Math

There is a whole group of people in the world who work very hard… And still live in poverty or in “near poverty.”   I’m writing to recognize and honor them. They are almost never acknowledged when the powers that be talk about poverty and programs that help, so join me for a moment to

Holes in the Safety Net

These are excerpts from an article in the Washington Post.  The url is at the bottom of my post, in case you want to read it in its entirety.  Meanwhile, I have some thoughts: “President Trump’s first major budget proposal on Tuesday will include massive cuts to Medicaid and call for changes to anti-poverty programs

Simplicity

There is a kind of simplicity that is undesirable: It’s the simple minded demand that all situations, no matter how complex they ar, be addressed with simple explanations and solutions.  “Don’t bother me with the facts,” such a person says.  “I don’t care about the details; they only confuse me.”  The lack of insight and

For the Politically Minded

I limit the amount of politicizing I do on Lifehelps. When I am in the mood for speaking out on this complex, often perplexing and frustrating subject, I put a post on http://patriotsvoiceblog.wordpress.com   Not to worry, my views are eclectic rather than very far left or right, although it is fair to warn you

Hubris of Ignorance

The following link is provided with the permission of Jim Wright, Stonekettle Station: http://www.stonekettle.com/2017/04/the-hubris-of-ignorance.html   This will take a few minutes to read, so get a good cup of coffee, or as Jim might suggest, a beer.  Make yourself comfortable and be prepared to think a bit. Here are some samples from Jim’s excellent article:  

Spring Fever

It got up to 52 degrees F today.  I seriously considered going out to do some yard work.  If this were mid October or so and it reached the same mark on the thermometer, I would say it’s too cold to work outside.  The difference?  Spring fever.  True, 52 is warm, compared to say 21.