Archive for August 2024

In 2024 it is no longer guaranteed that Social Security is “safe forever.” The Republican Party has called repeatedly for cuts to the popular program. As recently as March 2024, the Republican Study Committee, which includes the Republican House leadership and about 80% of House Republicans, said it is “committed to protecting and strengthening” Social Security by raising the retirement age and cutting benefits for those who are not yet approaching retirement. The Heritage Foundation, the main organization behind Project 2025, said in June that the retirement age should be raised.

More US households are renting now than at any time since the 1960s. Nevertheless, owning a home outright is still widely perceived to be the sensible option. For the middle class, this partially stems from the desire to make good on the promise of homeownership — a desire made all the more acute by the destruction of pensions and the need to plan for retirement. However, the desire is also fueled by insane rental costs, as owning a home is thought to be a way to escape the viciousness of the home-rental hamster wheel. For the huge swaths of people who no longer believe they’ll ever be able to buy, the white-knuckle ride of renting feels like a permanent nightmare.

As a single mom of two, every achievement feels even sweeter. Every achievement reminds me and shows my children that no dream is too distant. Graduating with a Master’s of Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington with two toddlers feels more than a personal achievement. It’s a testament to perseverance and the unwavering support of my incredible village.

Georgia’s sweeping and political application of conspiracy law echoes a tactic that shattered the left roughly a hundred years ago, when the U.S. government targeted socialist parties and militant unions with laws against criminal syndicalism, espionage, and sedition.

The HSE has shown “little or no follow through” in its attempts to reform children’s disability services, a health workers’ group has claimed.