And there, on the dash, was the prettiest cat looking at me. He didn't appear scared, just curious, and looked healthy. We locked eyes and I told him that he was pretty lucky to be so loved that he was in that car, too. My guess was that this person was either moving or living in their vehicle, and I'll never know which, I suppose, but there was something about the scene that left me ... sad? Disheartened?
According to W.Va. Center on Budget and Policy last year, 23 percent of West Virginians were working low wage jobs with a quarter of those workers living in poverty. We should be able to work full-time and afford to live, period. An Earned Income Tax Credit at the state level would be extremely helpful to those workers and to our economy.
I was organizing years before I even knew it was a thing. I mean, who doesn't want to fix something that is affecting their life, right? And I've always been that person whom strangers share their business with in the checkout line; it's a gift I've inherited from my mom.
Ask childcare directors what their wish would be if they were promised one change and, if you're talking to any of the ones I've talked to, they're going to tell you DHHR reimbursement for Title 20 subsidies.
We are annually met with the State of the Union and the State of the State addresses, and, at least for us here in West Virginia, they're always delivered by men. But what if we hosted a State of the Working Mom address? What would that look like?
One of the hardest parts of my job is working against stereotypes.The words "poor" and "poverty" often evoke images of lazy people who don't do enough to change their situation. It's hard for folks who have never struggled with money to imagine a life without it. I have found that it's damn near impossible for folks to get it.
Picture a high school cafeteria where the meal options are separated by lines and a student is only permitted to eat from one line, although the parents in some of our counties are paying for their kids' meals.
I am feeling as if my spirit is ready to release a sigh, as if it's been holding its breath for a very long time. New Year's resolutions aren't really my thing, but I do like to acknowledge the closing of one chapter and beginning of another.
Each county in West Virginia has hard-to-count areas and committees are being formed statewide to make sure that every West Virginian is counted. The census data determines an allocation of over $6 billion for the state of West Virginia.
