Homelessness, poverty, recession—you would hope that a new year would wipe away all of the bad things that have happened to our nation, but it does not. We still wake up in 2013 with the same issues we had in 2012. Is there any hope in sight? According to the U.S. Census, the official poverty … Continue reading Everyone Needs a Bed
More Americans used food stamps to buy their Thanksgiving dinner than any time in our history according to U.S. News & World Report. Forty-two million of us are on food stamps, and the food-stamp program (now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or "SNAP") cost the U.S. government $72 billion last year. This means one … Continue reading The Poor, the Elderly, the Disabled Stand to Lose the Most
America’s national safety net of social services is a curious public/private mix supporting the most vulnerable people in our society. It has been clearly pointed out to us this fall that in our current economic crisis, the government will have to be doing less, because the dollars are not there. According to the [National] Council … Continue reading Holes in the Safety Net
We at DollarDays noticed this year on our Facebook page that every time we posted a picture of a dog or cat, it was shared five times more than any other picture we posted. In this modern world of us all moving in so many different directions at such a high speed, why do people … Continue reading Who’s Your Best Friend?
Now that school is back in session, it is difficult for all of us who grew up with ample access to sports and the arts to see how our school systems have evolved and have practically eliminated the character-building program of sports participation. According to Yahoo!, in a study of 35,000 student athletes in Los … Continue reading Kids Without Sports
Now that we are entering another school year, it is hard to believe that our modern school system is less than 100 years old. According to Wikipedia, in 1900, out of 45 states, 34 had compulsory schooling laws for elementary education, of which only four were in the South. As a result, in 1910, 72% … Continue reading No School Left Behind
We are all teachers, whether we want to be or not. You are a teacher when you help your child take their first step. You are a teacher as a grandparent when you teach the grand kids how to make cookies. You are a teacher at work when you take a younger co-worker under your … Continue reading Step up to Our Teachable Moments
[In 2011], the people of the United States were ranked as the most generous in the world in terms of giving time and money to nonprofits, up from fifth place in 2010, according to The L.A. Times. [Approximately] 65% of Americans said they donated money to charity, 43% volunteered their time, and 73% helped a … Continue reading Giving is Down, but Caring is Up
According to Fox News, the percent[age] of married households in the [United States] fell to 48.4% in 2010, down from 55.2% in 1990 and 78% in 1960. This is the lowest in recorded history for our country. In 1960, according to The L.A. Times, almost 50% of [...] 18- to 24-year-olds and 82% of 25- … Continue reading “I Do”…or Maybe “I Do Not”
“Generation Z” are our kids that have been born since the late 1990s. This generation has grown up with the [web] and is highly connected because of the Internet. Instant messaging, text messaging, smartphones, tablet computers and social networking are part of their fiber. They have 24-hour access to the Internet with their mobile phones … Continue reading Have We Added Another Lost Generation?