In the United States, our politics on both sides of the aisle is not on the side of young Americans. Republicans claim the only way to grow the economy and secure a future for young Americans is to cut our domestic spending programs. Democrats claim the only way to grow the economy and secure the future for young Americans is to continue the same old policies pushed forth again and again. In the end, everything stays the same.
Here’s the facts from the past 40 years via the Social Security Administration (SSA). SSA found that a typical employee, has the largest income gains between the ages of 25 and 35. However, the unemployment rate of 18 and 34 years old peaked at more than 13% in 2010 (doesn’t include underemployment or discouraged workers). While the average income increase for median earners fell to zero between the ages of 35 and 55. Finally, they found that incomes decline (“negative growth”) between ages 45 and 55.
During the recession, lower-wage industries constituted 22% of losses, but 44% recovery growth and higher-wage industries constituted 41% of recession losses, however only 30% of recovery growth, noted by the National Employment Law Project. this caused an economic and perhaps even social crisis for young Americans are trying to enter or attempt to enter the workforce. Many of these young Americans are trying to get their first job to use their money to sustain themselves as they face the many challenges they have thrust upon them once they graduate high school. Many of them even use these jobs to help pay for their own education or to feed themselves while they are enrolled in college.
Now, they are not getting these jobs. Instead they are going to the people who before the recession were in middle-wage and higher-wage industries. These were people who had already made a life for themselves in many cases. Leading to young Americans with no avenue to work to start their lives to those who had good jobs now taking the jobs that use to go to young Americans just starting out.
Now, looking specifically at the jobs that were lost during the recession, Pew Research Center made some great points. the largest declines were in specialty trade contractors, construction 319, 800 jobs and local government, education 266,800 jobs. The largest gains have been in health care 1,481,400 jobs and food services and drinking places 1,385,400 jobs. Looking at these numbers you may notice that the second largest growing industry post-recession is also one of the industries that has the lowest pay and the least benefits for their employees.
Another striking statistic, is the total amount of student debt owed, $1.3 trillion. Even further, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average amount owed for each graduate has risen from less than $10,000 in 1993 to more than $30,000 in 2013. With the bottom 25% of households owing 58% of student debt and the top 10% owing only 3%, according to the Pew Research Center.
Republican Message:
The new Congress is controlled by the Republican Party (GOP) and they could act on these issues and take meaningful actions. Instead, they seem to be focused on repealing Obamacare (ACA), rollback of immigration reform, and destroy agencies that protect the environment, consumers, workers, and taxpayers.
Specifically, on immigration the U.S. House took a vote of 236-191 on funding the Department of Homeland Security to February 27, until President Obama reverses his executive order on undocumented immigrants. The vote was poised at killing the President’s effort to enforce policies that limited deportations of people who aren’t criminals or serial immigration violators. One amendment to that bill even went as far as ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA stopped over 600,000 young undocumented immigrants from being deported and allowed them to work legally.
Progressive Confront:
Progressives have a plan to confront the Republican’s and the Democrat’s standard. The progressive plan is to regulate Wall Street, transform the U.S. global tax and trade policies (oppose TTP), enforce a progressive tax rate, curb perverse CEO compensation policies, revive anti-trust, equal pay for equal work, raise the minimum wage, paid sick leave, free community college (President Obama’s plan), 21st century infrastructure (President Obama’s plan), end the outrageous amounts of money in politics (Citizens United), and take advantage of the Green Energy Industrial Revolution.
The plan includes supporting progressive legislators. Thus, people who disagree with the status quo should stand with U.S. Senators taking the lead on these policies such as Sen. Sherrod Brown, Sen. Jeff Merkly, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren. It also means standing with the Congressional Progressive Caucus in the U.S. House, who are driving the same ideas.
Fundamental change comes only when the oppressed make it impossible to sustain the old order. – Robert Borosage, Campaign for America’s Future
In Mika’s Opinion:
Young Americans are our future, thus politics needs to take a major turn towards that which will benefit them. Right now, young Americans are turned off by both political parties.
Why? Could it be that both political parties have not spent much time focusing on the needs of young Americans? Could it be that both political parties are stuck in their same old ways, pushing their same old proposals?
This is why I believe in the progressive plan, the plan for our future, that includes and focuses on young Americans. That recognizes the need to take a turn and make changes. The plan includes some of the old proposals that are still relevant for today but recognizes that we are in the 21st century and need 21st century solutions. The progressive plan even will tackle social issues that many young Americans want to see dealt with. Many of these issues are not even seen as issues by many young Americans but are for older Americans and still are being debated within the two major political parties, which also turns off young Americans
It’s time we realize that immigration isn’t a side issue, it’s a national priority.
It’s time we realize that women’s issues are not side issues but a national priority.
It’s time we realize that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) rights are not side issues but a national priority.
This question was asked in my Development Psychology class and hit me more than I thought it would.
Are there any issues you had with your parents, your school work, your friends, or your romantic involvements in the last year of high school that continued to be issues for you in college? Reflect on your own personality, interests and cognitive abilities at the time you graduated high school. How did these personality characteristics and abilities manifest themselves in subsequent years? How have they changed since your high school days, if at all?
I felt like, “wow how in the world do I answer that with the journey I have been through thus far.” I felt like it was almost impossible for me to explain it all in words. But this was my answer.
There was so much that happened back then in that year and the following year that I would need to write a book to describe it all. That last year in high school, I turned 19 years old and lost my health insurance (Nebraska Medicaid) while still living with with cystinosis (a fatal genetic disease). After I reapplied, Medicaid claimed that they would not cover me because of my pre-existing condition. The condition I have had my entire life, the condition I had when I was first added to Medicaid.
Thus, while attempting to be a high school student and complete my senior year, I needed to figure out how in the world I was going to get health insurance. I needed the insurance to cover all of my medications that kept me alive and keeps the disease at bay. I appealed Nebraska Medicaid four times and lost each time. Therefore, I stopped and decided to focus on graduating and hopefully moving on to college.
At this point, I was working at J.C. Penny but not nearly making enough money to cover for private health insurance. Not to forget, I was beginning my process of coming out as transgender and finding my political affiliation as a socialist Democrat. This caused several other issues or benefits. I guess it depends on how you look at it. I had to fight for myself constantly at school, at work, at the hospital, and at the Health and Human Services office. It was never ending or it seems like it is never ending. While many of my friends where talking and laughing about who they were dating, talking about what college they planned to attend, and what classes they would take.
Nope not me, they actually made me feel angry, hurt, and mad at the world. However, they also made me understand the “real world” much more clearly. I guess they all may have made me stronger. I am now different, yet the same. Those experiences and trials made me stronger, they made me into the person I am today, although I believe they damaged me. They caused me to make sacrifices that I did not want to make, but I knew I needed to, so that it would protect me and get things done. They made me into a cold person who must work hard at being sociable and warm. I am so different from four years ago when I graduated from Millard South High School in 2010.
Now, I would like to fill in the blanks between 2010 and now, with a little extra.
I was diagnosed with cystinosis around age 10 months old. Cystinosis is a rare orphan disease that causes the amino acid cystine to accumulate in the cells. As the cystine accumulates in the cells, it slowly damages organs including the kidneys, liver, thyroid, eyes, muscles and brain. An orphan disease is a disease that has not been “adopted” by the pharmaceutical industry because it provides little financial incentive for the private sector to make and market new medications to treat or prevent it. Almost 7,000 rare or “orphan” diseases in the United States collectively affect nearly 30 million people. In the case of cystinosis, only 2,000 in the world are affected.
Cystinosis has been a struggle. It has been a challenge for me and those who care about me. Yes, I maybe a so-called survivor; however I’m living with it every day. When I was a kid, I was always seen as different. Every day, I went to the nurse’s office to take medications. Many days I had bad breath and body odor from the Cystagon, and I felt sick to my stomach that usually ended in me vomiting. Elementary and middle school were especially difficult for me because of this. Not to forget all of the doctor appointments and hospitalizations I had to go to which caused me to miss a lot of school. Growing up with cystinosis is difficult and quite the journey.
Cystinosis has been difficult on my family, too. I cannot even comprehend how heartbreaking it must have been for them to get the news that cystinosis is an incurable disease. Then, to see me go through all of the hospital visits, side effects from the medications, and just daily life with cystinosis. However, I am proud because I am one of the only cystinosis patients to make it to 19 years old before needing a kidney transplant.
In 2010, my senior year in high school, I turned 19 and lost my health insurance. This happened because in Nebraska, you are an adult at age 19 and you must re-apply for Medicaid. I did just that and was denied. I was told that I was not eligible for coverage for having a pre-existing condition (cystinosis). I tried applying four times with the same results each time. With no avenue to appeal their decision, I decided to focus on graduating high school and going to college until my scheduled trip to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that fall. I went most of that year without any of my medications. This resulted in me going into end stage renal or kidney failure and it probably cut a few years off my life. I went from needing a kidney transplant in 2-4 years to needing one in six months to 1 year. If I would have had health insurance, I might have been able to wait until after college to get a kidney transplant.
When I graduated from high school, I knew I wanted to contribute to society in any way possible and work to create the change I seek. However, because of having cystinosis and going on dialysis, it forced me to stop working. To stay busy, I volunteer on issue and political campaigns, such as fighting for Full LGBT Equality, voting rights, and health care for all. I am passionate about these because I look forward to a future where everyone has the right to vote, has full and equal human rights, and access to high quality health care. For me, these causes are important because I know first-hand how not having access to health care can cause a chronic disease to get worse like my disease did.
I was on dialysis for almost three years. I began dialysis in May of 2011, when I was a patient at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) or Nebraska Medical Center (now: Nebraska Medicine) being evaluated for kidney transplant. I first was on hemodialysis, a form of dialysis that is usually performed with a catheter placed in the chest that is used as an access to cycle large amounts of blood into a machine that cleans the blood and returns it to the body. Fortunately, I was only on this form of dialysis for nine long months, until I switched to peritoneal dialysis.
I started peritoneal dialysis in March of 2012, because I was denied getting a kidney transplant at the Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) from my living donor and would need to be on dialysis much longer, in addition to hemodialysis not working out for me. I had many complications with hemodialysis and cystinosis. For example, cystinosis patients are not your typical kidney failure patients because we still need access to water and potassium. This is why our specialists recommend having the kidney transplant as soon as possible and never going on dialysis. Most health care professionals are not fully educated on cystinosis. Therefore, cystinosis patients like me must take it upon us to help educate our health care professionals.
Even with the additional education sometimes, mistakes are made. While I was on hemodialysis, it caused me to continuously become dehydrated, have hypotension (low blood pressure) and tachycardia (fast heart rate). In addition, I had other complications like the catheter itself falling out of my chest and a couple of times where there were infections. By the end of the period of me bing on hemodialysis, I had seven hemodialysis catheters placed in my upper right chest. I can show those afterwards.
Peritoneal dialysis is performed using a catheter placed in your abdomen that cycles a dextrose mixture fluid into your peritoneal cavity that uses the wall of the cavity as a natural dialyzer that cleans your blood. Peritoneal dialysis was much better for me because I was able to better control how much fluid I take off my body and my health care was more in my own control. It also was done at home. This way I did not have to go to a dialysis center. It gave me more of my life back. I was on peritoneal dialysis until May 30, 2013, when I received the Gift of Life from my living donor. I had the kidney transplant at the wonderful University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC), in Iowa City. At UIHC, I received excellent care and compassionate treatment. I personally feel they are the best in the Midwest.
Today, I am living with a new kidney, which I named Serenity after the ship on FireFly a scifi show, and doing wonderfully in aspects of my kidney health. The transplant team at UIHC was impressed with how well my body accepted the kidney and recovered from surgery. My creatinine level, which determines how well the kidney is doing, is 0.9. This number is awesome! I am now down to only having blood drawn once every other month to check my levels and only need to visit UIHC once a year.
Currently, I am not employed because even though my kidney issue is resolved for the moment. I still have cystinosis; remember it affects my entire body. Because of cystinosis, I have Fanconi Syndrome, where I constantly must fight the loss of water, important minerals, salts, and nutrients. I have issues with my eyes being extremely sensitive to sunlight and light in general. I also have some issues with my heart and frequent headaches. This all leads to a lot of stress and still feeling sick.
I must point out, I don’t only have cystinosis. I have nephropathic or infantile cystinosis. There are three forms of cystinosis: nephropathic (infantile), late-onset (intermediate), and ocular (adult). The most common and severe form is nephropathic cystinosis. Patients with nephropathic cystinosis appear normal at birth. However, before one year of age have excessive thirst and urination, and failure to thrive. They are smaller than others are their age and often tend to be in the lowest percentile or even off the pediatric growth chart. There may be delays with walking and bearing weight. With late-onset cystinosis, cystine crystals are present in the eyes but kidney function remains normal.
Fortunately, we have the drug cysteamine to slow the progression of cystinosis by removing the cystine from the cells. There are two forms of cysteamine Cystagon and Procysbi. The FDA approved Cystagon for the treatment of cystinosis in 1994. Cystagon must be taken every six hours, every day. I was on Cystagon during the trial and had been taking it for nearly 21 years of my life. It caused me to feel sick almost every day.
Last year, the FDA approved Procysbi, a delayed-release capsule for the treatment of only nephropathic cystinosis in adults and children 6 years and older. I was lucky enough and started Procysbi about eight months ago and I have nearly no side effects. There is only one medication to treat the corneal cystine crystal accumulation in patients with cystinosis, Cystaran. Cystaran must be used every hour while awake in order to remove the cystine crystals from the cornea. Patients who begin cysteamine treatment early enough, and are compliant in taking cysteamine as prescribed, generally delay the need for kidney transplantation for several years.
We must find a cure. Thus, I am participating in a long-term clinical research study at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. In the study, I see Dr. William Gahl, one of the leading researchers in the world on cystinosis. Dr. Gahl’s study was one of the first studies of its kind on cystinosis. I currently see him for the specialized study of the progression of the disease in my body and to aid his research in the long-term effects of the disease, which I hope will assist in finding a cure. I began seeing Dr. Gahl when I was a baby, shortly after I was diagnosed with cystinosis. I spent several weeks at a time there. Basically, I grew up there from 1992 to 1996.
In addition, I have participated in several other studies, including at the University of California at San Diego Medical Center, where they studied the neurological and psychological effects of cystinosis. I was also a participant in the study at the NIH, which proved to the FDA that the eye drops work to reduce the cystine crystals on the corneas.
Today, I am back in college working on my psychology degree, however it won’t matter if there is no cure for my terrible disease. There is an organization that is working on this issue, the Cystinosis Research Foundation (CRF). CRF is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that was started by the amazing Stack family in 2003, after Natalie Stack their daughter, made a wish on the eve of her twelfth birthday,
to have my disease go away forever
CRF today supports bench and clinical research that is focused on developing improved treatments and a cure for cystinosis.
CRF has funded every bench and clinical research study that led to Procysbi, allowing cystinosis patients like me to take the drug every 12 hours instead of every 6 hours, which greatly improves our quality of life. They established the CRF Cystinosis Gene Therapy Consortium, whose mission is to bring stem cell therapy to clinical trial. The CRF is currently funding investigator in eleven countries. Some of the areas of focus include stem cell and gene therapy, effects of cystinosis on neurological function and cognitive development, causes of muscle-wasting and potential therapies, etc.
Finding a cure may save my life, as well as others with cystinosis including my sister Mary, or even persons with other diseases. Knowledge discovered by studying one “orphan” disease often leads to advancements in other diseases.
Here (2014):
I am working on my Associates Degree at Iowa Western Community College in Psychology. I was in college in 2010-2011. However, I had to leave because of my health and being on dialysis. This fall semester of 2014 was me getting back into the hang of it. Next semester I will be taking a full load of classes or at least what I consider a full load four classes three of them are 3 hour credits and one is 4 hour credits.
Moving forward from the elections I plan to work on issues and help the Democratic party the best I can. I plan to work on issues on topics of feminism, workers’ rights, and full and equal human rights.
Videos:
These are videos on topics that I will be working on in 2015 and I will be writing about. Check them out!
If you woke up tomorrow, and your internet looked like this, what would you do?
Imagine all your favorite websites taking forever to load, while you get annoying notifications from your ISP suggesting you switch to one of their approved “Fast Lane” sites. Think about what we would lose: all the weird, alternative, interesting, and enlightening stuff that makes the Internet so much cooler than mainstream Cable TV. What if the only news sites you could reliably connect to were the ones that had deals with companies like Comcast and Verizon? On September 10th, just a few days before the FCC’s comment deadline, public interest organizations are issuing an open, international call for websites and internet users to unite for an “Internet Slowdown” to show the world what the web would be like if Team Cable gets their way and trashes net neutrality. Net neutrality is hard to explain, so our hope is that this action will help SHOW the world what’s really at stake if we lose the open Internet.If you’ve got a website, blog or tumblr, get the code to join the #InternetSlowdown here: https://battleforthenet.com/sept10thEveryone else, here’s a quick list of things you can do to help spread the word about the slowdown: http://tumblr.fightforthefuture.org/post/96020972118/be-a-part-of-the-great-internet-slowdown Get creative! Don’t let us tell you what to do. See you on the net September 10th!
Washington, D.C., Monday, June 30, 2014 –The Equality Pledge Network made a united call for full LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) equality at a vigil for LGBT civil rights at the MLK Jr. Memorial Monument. The vigil included a variety of speakers from, LGBT activists, African American leaders, and faith leaders, who gave speeches, prayers, and sang several songs in tribute to fallen LGBT people, all calling to “ADD 4 WORDS” to the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The vigil marked the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964.
“Those who are equal before God shall now be equal in the polling booths, in the classrooms, in the factories, and in the hotels, restaurants, and movie theaters, and other places that provide service to the public,” said President Johnson as he signed the Civil Rights Act.
The Equality Pledge Network is calling on Congress and the President to add four words to that Act, “sexual orientation and gender identity.” Adding those words would ban discrimination against LGBT Americans in housing, public accommodations, education, employment, and federally funded programs.
“It’s time for a sexual orientation and gender identity civil rights act. I loved visiting the President in the White House, sitting in a top White House official’s briefing for 3 hours. I totally loved it. I also loved holding a civil rights vigil at the MLK Jr. Memorial with the LGBT community. But, dream or imagine if you will a bill to address civil rights laws and adding sexual orientation and gender identity to them all? That, I’ll love most of all,” said Richard Noble, LGBT activist who walked across the nation for equality.
“The inclusion of LGBT Americans in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is right and necessary. As an African American woman, I understand why only fully inclusive nondiscrimination laws meet the standard for basic human dignity in our nation,” said Veronic Eady, an Equality Pledge Network board member and human rights attorney.
Credits Omar R. Clarke
Currently, there are no such federal laws.
In 29 states, you can be fired based on your sexual orientation and in 32 based on your gender identity. (ACLU)
In 30 states, you can be denied housing based on your sexual orientation and in 34 based on your gender identity. (HRC)
In 33 states, there is no law giving protection to K-12 students who are bullied and harassed based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. (HRC)
The Equality Pledge Networkis a new nationwide campaign calling for full LGBT equality, it reflects a growing determination to press forward vigorously for full and equal human rights. The campaign is supported by over 240 organizations in 44 states and D.C., these organizations represent the full array of advocacy, direct action, faith-based, statewide, local, marriage, immigration, pride, transgender/gender non-conforming, community centers, and other community constituencies.
“Everyone needs to get in the fight for full federal equality. Our youth should not have to grow up in a society where some are valued more than others,” said Stephen Zollman, Equality Pledge Network Northern California State Lead.
“As queer people and as activists, the pledge means something to us on both a personal and organizational level. We believe every person deserves these rights, and ignoring them condemns LGBTQ people to live as second-class citizens,” Ashley Martian, organizer with the Black Cat House.
At the vigil, Rev. Dr. Dennis Wiley, a straight-ally African American leader on LGBT justice from Covenant Baptist UCC spoke about the interconnectedness of all struggles, as faith leaders proclaim the spiritual imperative to protect LGBT Americans from discrimination. Transgender rights advocate, Consuella Lopez, from the D.C. Mayor’s LGBT Advisory Board spoke about the horrific suffering of transgender Americans, from homelessness to suicide. Attendees also held pictures of LGBT children who committed suicide because of the anti-LGBT bullying and harassment during the vigil.
There were several other speakers at the vigil in addition, Cindy Bray, Treasurer of LGBT Democrats of Virginia; Dr. Robin H. Gorsline, of People of Faith for Equality in Virginia; Dr. Dana Beyer, a recent state Senate candidate in Maryland who spoke on behalf of Gender Rights Maryland; Rev. Abena McCray, co-founder of Unity Fellowship Church; and Richard Noble, who walked across the nation on foot for equality.
There is no bill in the U.S. House or U.S. Senate at this time to move forward full LGBT equality. There are several bills that would provide LGBT equality piece by piece.
If you would like to join the cause or take the Pledge for Full LGBT Equality please go here: Join the Cause!
If you would like to volunteer in Iowa or Nebraska please email me: mika.j.covington@gmail.com
Last Saturday May 17, was the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia or IDAHOT, a day where communities stand up against violence and oppression. It is also a day to promote freedom, diversity, and acceptance. In 2013, IDAHOT was celebrated by events held in 113 countries and was officially recognized as a National day in Belgium, United Kingdom, France, Luxemburg, Spain, Brazil, Croatia, and by the European Parliament.
Facts about LGBTQIA Issues around the Globe:
81 countries still criminalize being LGBTQIA
4.9 billion or 2/3 of the world’s population have their right to information or expression around sexual and gender diversity systematically violated by their State. (IDAHOT)
In Omaha, Nebraska – IDAHOT was celebrated by a rally at the intersection of 72 and Dodge Streets where LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual) community and allies gathered to take a stand against hate and violence.
In 2012, there were 1,318 confirmed hate crimes offenses based on sexual orientation bias. – Federal Bureau of Investigation
At the rally, we also called for full federal equality and encouraged people to take the Full Equality Pledge because the LGBTQIA community is entitled to equal human rights.
In 29 states, you can be fired based on your sexual orientation and in 32 states based on your gender identity.
In 29 states, you can be denied public accommodations (hotels, restaurants, etc.) based on your sexual orientation and in 34 states based on your gender identity.
In 33 states, there is no law giving protection to K-12 students who are bullied and harassed based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.
It was awesome and uplifting to see the reaction by the people driving by. I full heartedly believe that we made a big impact on the hearts and minds of people in Omaha who saw us saturday rallying against hate and standing up for full federal equality. From the child sitting in the backseat of his mother’s car seeing people standing up for human rights, to the sister who will get a picture of her brother and his daughter standing with protesters fighting for her rights. It was a powerful rally. I am glad to have been a part of it and NO ONE can take that away from me.
This year, IDAHOT was celebrated by events held in over 120 countries and events were even held by activists in countries that still criminalize being LGBTQIA. For instance, in Russia activists organized balloon release “flashmobs” in 13 cities and in Khabarovsk and St. Petersburg, activists were attacked. In several other countries, events had been cancelled under pressure from their governments. (IDAHOT)
Highlights from around the Globe on IDAHOT:
Global Leaders spoke out, including United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon,
“Millions of people around the world observe the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17. (…) I believe in and strive to achieve a world rooted in tolerance, freedom, and equality; a world where we are ALL free to live a life of dignity. There are no exceptions. Human rights are for everyone, no matter whom you are or whom you love.”
United Nations office of the Commissioner for Human Rights released a video campaign for the day.
United States President Barack Obama released a statement,
“As we commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, we recommit ourselves to the fundamental belief that all people would be treated equally, that they should have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential, and that no one should face violence or discrimination – no matter who they are or whom they love.”
President of Costa Rica raised the rainbow flag outside the Presidential Palace.
President of Mexico tweeted,“Because we are making Mexico a country of equality, today we celebrate for the first time the National Day Against Homophobia.”
In several countries where LGBTQIA people face severe stigma and public persecution, the embassies of many countries, including the United States, Canada, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Spain, Finland, German, and France flew the rainbow flag. (IDAHOT)
Here’s the facts from the past 40 years via the Social Security Administration (SSA). SSA found that a typical employee, has the largest income gains between the ages of 25 and 35. However, the unemployment rate of 18 and 34 years old peaked at more than 13% in 2010 (doesn’t include underemployment or discouraged workers). While the average income increase for median earners fell to zero between the ages of 35 and 55. Finally, they found that incomes decline (“negative growth”) between ages 45 and 55.
Another striking statistic, is the total amount of student debt owed, $1.3 trillion. Even further, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average amount owed for each graduate has risen from less than $10,000 in 1993 to more than $30,000 in 2013. With the bottom 25% of households owing 58% of student debt and the top 10% owing only 3%, according to the Pew Research Center.
Specifically, on immigration the U.S. House took a vote of 236-191 on funding the Department of Homeland Security to February 27, until President Obama reverses his executive order on undocumented immigrants. The vote was poised at killing the President’s effort to enforce policies that limited deportations of people who aren’t criminals or serial immigration violators. One amendment to that bill even went as far as ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA stopped over 600,000 young undocumented immigrants from being deported and allowed them to work legally.
The plan includes supporting progressive legislators. Thus, people who disagree with the status quo should stand with U.S. Senators taking the lead on these policies such as Sen. Sherrod Brown, Sen. Jeff Merkly, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren. It also means standing with the Congressional Progressive Caucus in the U.S. House, who are driving the same ideas.
