None of My Business

None of My Business

It was late, I was grumpy, and the woman in front of me was buying cigarettes. I noticed the items in her cart: brand-name snacks, colas, and frozen foods. I looked at how she dressed, considered the carton of cigarettes she requested, and made a wager to myself that...
Feeding the Economy

Feeding the Economy

I never paid much attention to the food stamp debate in Congress before. But I’m on food stamps myself these days, so I’m tuning in this time around. Officially called SNAP — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — food stamps are one of those...
Low-Wage Nation

Low-Wage Nation

With its catchy “We are the 99 Percent” slogan, the Occupy movement focused millions of Americans on our nation’s chronic inequality. As that movement regains momentum, it must pay more attention to the whole 99 percent. We certainly should worry...