Tag: huffpost

Why Fight for Our Country?

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Earlier this year, Stars and Stripes, the independent newspaper to the military community, reported [that among] male veterans under [the age of] 30, [the suicide rate has increased by] 44%—[in other words, an average of] 22 veterans […] take [his or her] own lives [every day]. Reasons for the increase could be the pressures of leaving military careers, readjusting to civilian life while trying to find a job, lack of civilian work experience, and combat injuries like post-traumatic stress. In addition, the unemployment rate of veterans is 2% higher than the national average, [a]nd […] 90% of military spouses are underemployed and earn 38% less than their civilian counterparts. […]

On top of all of this, 57,849 veterans are homeless on any given night, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Breaking that down further, 12% of the adult homeless population are veterans, [and] 40% of [those] are African-American or Hispanic, despite only accounting for 10.4% and 3.4%, respectively, of the U.S. veteran population. Our homeless veterans have served in World War ll, the Korean War, [the] Cold War, [the] Vietnam War, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, [the] Persian Gulf Wars, Afghanistan and Iraq. Another 1.4 million veterans are considered at risk of homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing.

How did we let all this happen to the heroes who keep us the freest country on Earth? Most of our citizens join the military because of their pride for this country, and they want to give back while doing an honorable job. No matter the generation or the war, from Concord to Kabul, America’s military has always been determined, tough and proud to do their duty. These fighters are sustained by not only the bonds shared within their units, but [by] the love and strength they draw from those at home—their families, their spouses, their children, their parents and their community. It is time for their community to embrace them.

The month of May is full of celebrations honoring our military. May 1st is “Loyalty Day,” which started in the 1920s [to counter a rise in the fear of] Communism. […] May 8th is V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), which commemorates the end of fighting in Europe during World War II. Military Spouses Day […] is always held on the Friday before Mother’s Day. Armed Forces Day, which was created to honor all branches of the service, […] is celebrated the third Saturday in May (the 17th this year). [T]he month ends with Memorial Day, […] which is dedicated to servicemen and servicewomen who gave their lives for freedom and for our country. The roots of Memorial Day go back to 1865 and the end of the Civil War.

So how can we as communities do more than just celebrate and really help and embrace our veterans so the transition from military life to civilian life is not as painful? Obviously, if you own a business, you can make a real effort to hire veterans, [o]r, if you are not an employer, you can still help by donating to the nonprofit organization Hire Heroes, who are military veterans dedicated to “creating job opportunities for U.S. military veterans and their spouses.” Another great organization to donate to is Welcome Back Veterans, which was created to help returning veterans and their families. One of my favorites is Soldier’s Angels, and you can donate directly on their site or through their DollarDays wish list.

These veterans are our friends, our family and the bravest in our communities. These are men and women who sacrificed everything for us. Shouldn’t we do the same for them?

Original article here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/why-fight-for-our-country_b_5155398.html

Helping Small Businesses—Lots of Talk, No Action

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The Small Business Act of 1953 established the Small Business Administration (SBA), which came into existence on the grounds that small businesses are essential to a free enterprise system. It was the intent of establishing the SBA to “deter the formation of monopolies and the market failures monopolies cause by eliminating competition in the marketplace,” according to the Congressional Research Service. Today, there are over 5.6 million employer firms who employ 113 million people with a total payroll of $5.16 trillion. Sixty-two percent of these employers have four or fewer employees, 89.8% have fewer than 20, and 98.3% have fewer than 100.

The SBA has 1,047 different classifications of businesses. The current definition of [a] “small business” is [a company] with not more than $15 million in tangible net worth and not more than $5 million in average net income after federal taxes. Overall, the SBA classifies 97% of all employers as “small business.” These same small firms represent 30% of our receipts in our economy, which means “big business” is still 70% of our economy. Back in 1953, when the SBA was established, the split was 34% […] “small business” and 66% […] “big business.” Not much has really changed over the last 60 years, despite all the rules, regulations and the formation of the SBA.

Our country has always been a country of small businesses. In colonial America, 20% of the crops raised and handicraft products made were exported by these small businesses. At the time of our revolution, because of domestic economic growth and exports, Americans had a standard of living higher than most Europeans. Increasing an individual’s standard of living has been the driving factor to open a small business throughout American history, [b]ut Gallup just reported that the total number of new business startups and business closures per year, known as “the birth and death rates of American companies,” just crossed for the first time since this measurement began. Annually, 400,000 new businesses are now being born nationwide, while 470,000 are dying each year across the country.

This is a trend we must reverse, and we need our government’s help to do this. Sure, we can blame it on the recession we have been battling for the last several years, but it is much deeper than that. In addition to new regulations for small businesses in healthcare reform, an increase in regulatory activity in several industries, and the uncertainty about taxes, several other causes come into play, making it hard to open a business today:

  • One reason is [because] there continues to be a shortage of financing alternatives to open a new business. Before the recession, entrepreneurs could use the equity in their homes, but in today’s world, how many of us have significant equity in our homes?
  • Another reason is technology, which we think is helping to streamline work and create Internet-related businesses but is also responsible for displacing independent businesses across several verticals. Look at the travel agents who have lost their businesses or the video store, the record store and the bookstore.
  • A third reason is the well-financed big businesses are killing the little guy. [The] Home Depot is pounding the hardware stores, [which is] the same thing Best Buy is doing to the electronic stores. Walmart controls close to 50% of some lines of the grocery and general merchandise business, where a generation ago, thousands of families made their living selling these goods.

On April 5, 2012, President Obama signed into law the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act. He said, “[F]or startups and small businesses, this is a potential game changer. For the first time, ordinary Americans can invest in entrepreneurs they believe in.” This law relaxed regulation[s] for businesses that are emerging growth companies, created a “crowdfunding” exemption to allow private companies to raise up to $1 million and [increased] the limit of small offerings from $5 million to $50 million.

It is two years later, and nothing in this law is implemented. [Those] close to this new law—legislators, practitioners and potential small-business owners—have voiced their frustrations with continuing delays in adopting final rules, but to no avail. [W]e ask ourselves how our government has led us to the tipping point where more businesses close than open.

If the U.S. government, who has good intentions but poor follow-through, cannot help small businesses, then who can? […]

Every big company started small. Look at Walmart, where, even today, over 50% of the company is still owned by the Walton family, [o]r Bill Gates, who is still the largest shareholder in Microsoft. We as a country can’t afford more businesses dying than are being born. The government has let us down with sequestration, shutting itself down when we need it the most, battles over healthcare, and battles over the debt ceiling and budgets. When they finally pass a law that makes sense like the JOBS Act, they still can’t implement it after two years. All of us need to reach out to our representatives and tell them to get their “act” together, [a]nd if they do not react, we need to vote them all out and start again.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/helping-small-businesses-_b_5045268.html

The War on Poverty is Back; This Time, It’s the People’s Burden

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Feeding America reports that 15.9 million kids [in the United States] under the age of 18, [or one in five], are unable to consistently access nutritious and adequate amounts of food necessary for a healthy life. Last month, Congress passed a sweeping “Farm Bill” that cut an additional $8.6 billion from SNAP, [or the] Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, over the next 10 years. This is on top of the $5 billion the program lost last November because the 2009 Recovery Act stimulus bill expired. Forty-seven million Americans currently participate in SNAP, up 47% since the [r]ecession started in 2008, [which] means that 15% of us rely on this program to eat. […]

We don’t have to be math whizzes to know that a 47% increase in participation, coupled with a reduction in the funding of $13.6 billion, spells misery for millions of Americans. This program has been the federal social safety net for low-income Americans, and now this safety net is beginning to tear.

The New York Times reports that more and more people are beginning to show up at soup kitchens and food pantries. The first reduction in November cut out 23 meals per month for a family of four. In New York City, the number of people seeking food aid grew by 85% after the November cuts, while 23% of the city’s food pantries and soup kitchens reduced the number of meals they provided. Food stamps were the signature program of President Johnson’s “War on Poverty” during the 1960s, which led to fewer poor children going hungry or having nutrition-related developmental delays. Birth weights also grew for children of poor mothers on food stamps.

As a nation, we can’t afford to go back to the nutritional standards before the “War on Poverty.” Luckily for us, our nonprofit organizations are stepping in and have created food banks to help fill the void continually shaped by Congress. The world’s first food bank started in 1967, right after the “War on Poverty” began. St. Mary’s Food Bank was started by John Van Hengel, who was volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix, serving dinners to those in need. A mother told him the soup kitchens and grocery store Dumpsters were the only way she could feed her children. John went to the local parish, St. Mary’s Basilica, and shared his vision of collecting food and money for food and depositing it where those in need could withdraw it. They gave John $3,000 and an abandoned building to get the food bank up and running. Today, food banks touch just about every corner of the United States.

Ozarks Food Harvest, one of the Feeding America food banks in Springfield, Mo., distributes food to 320 hunger-relief organizations across 29 Missouri counties, reaching 41,000 people a month. To help hungry children, they have a weekend backpack program, where they fill 1,500 backpacks with food so these underprivileged kids can have something to eat when they can’t eat at school. How can you not love an organization that takes care of others every day of the week?

Kentucky is setting an example for the rest of government in how to encourage its citizens to help others. Its legislature has made it easier for Kentuckians to donate to the Farms to Food Banks Program by just checking a box on their state tax returns to have part of their tax refunds […] automatically go to this program. This is how the government should behave in inspiring [its citizens] to help each other. […]

[Just last month], General Motors Foundation […] donated $500,000 to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, [which serves] the people of metro[politan] Detroit. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Florida recently donated $250,000 to the Florida Association of Food Banks. The Alaska Federal Credit Union donated money to 17 food banks. Businesses with a conscience are beginning to step up to fill this massive void, but, so far, there is too big a gap to fill. We have got to make up the billions of dollars lost to support those in the most need in this new order of priorities created by Congress. We, as citizens of this fine country, need to create a new grassroots effort for this latest “War on Poverty.” Having 47 million Americans in need of food is not the country our forefathers envisioned. It is also not the country we want to leave to our children.

Original article here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/the-war-on-poverty-is-back_b_4866216.html

Congress Could Use a Lesson from America’s Innovators

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The compromise spending bill for $1.1 trillion keeps the government open through September, according to CNN. It increases funding to Head Start by $1 billion for early childhood education, which makes sense after its recent low point with the forced budget cuts last year. It increases the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel by 1%. It reduces funding to the IRS and the Environmental Protection Agency. It launches policies aimed at getting more low-risk passengers through security quicker at airports. [I]t has a little bit in it for just about everyone, [b]ut, once again, Congress is kicking the can down the road, because we are going to have this same contentious conversation next fall when this extension expires.

The New York Times broke down the cost of this new budget per each U.S. resident: $259 goes to [the SNAP program], $61 goes to the […] school lunch program, $30 goes for crop insurance, $40 goes to loans and direct payments to farmers, $2,672 covers Social Security, $1,591 covers Medicare, $26 goes to the FBI, and $22 goes to the federal prison system.

These budget impasses remind me of the movie Groundhog Day, where we wake up and repeat the same mistake month after month, year after year. There have got to be some innovative thinkers outside and inside government who can get us out of this rut of repeating the same mistakes over and over again.

One big idea is coming from Ron Unz, according to USA Today. Mr. Unz is a Silicon Valley multimillionaire and registered Republican who is pushing a California proposal to boost the minimum pay rate to $12 an hour. Unz believes that taxpayers, for too long, have been subsidizing low wages, since the government pays for food stamps and other programs these workers utilize. He feels raising the minimum wage to $12 would lift millions of people out of poverty, driving up income and sales tax revenue and, at the same time, saving taxpayers billions of dollars since these workers would no longer qualify for many of the welfare benefits.

Another big idea came out of Chicago under the leadership of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. He created the small business center in City Hall last spring to streamline small-business services. The city has reduced the number of business licenses from 117 to 49, which has saved small businesses $700,000 in just the last six months. Chicago is phasing out the Head Tax, a decision that saved small businesses $4.8 million in 2013. This is just an example of how cities can cut through the red tape to not only make its citizens’ lives easier but actually save money.

TOMS is a for-profit company that gives away a pair of shoes to an impoverished child for every pair it sells. Additionally, when TOMS sells a pair of eye wear, part of the profit goes toward helping restore sight to those who need help, and, according to their [web]site, “[H]elping to restore sight restores independence, economic potential and educational opportunity.” They have taken the “giving back” [mission] a step further and, last fall, launched TOMS Marketplace, which gives socially conscious suppliers a platform to sell products that help support causes ranging from education and health to nutrition and clean water.

Most organizations don’t have the resources like the city of Chicago or TOMS to help make a major impact in changing our country or […] federal budget. […] The largest charity in the United States is the United Way, which is a network of 1,800 United Way communities and manages $4.26 billion. […] The second largest is The Salvation Army, which manages $4.08 billion to carry out their mission “to feed, to clothe, to comfort and to care.” These budgets seem small compared to the $1.1 trillion federal budget, yet they do [relieve] some [of the] pressure [from] the government in taking care of everything the underprivileged need. […]

Sometimes, I think we put too much faith in our government that they will take care of pushing our economy forward, as well as taking care of those most in need. A Gallup poll just reported that just 13% of Americans approve of the job that Congress is doing. If that was the approval rating in any other part of our society, they would all be gone. This is the group we must rely on next fall to permanently fix the day-to-day operations of our government. Based on their recent history, I am skeptical that this will happen. That is why the rest of us have to step up with the “big ideas” to make our civilization work with or without our government’s support.

Original article here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/congress-could-use-a-less_b_4639725.html

Did Not Make It Home for the Holidays

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The weather [this month] not only played havoc on retail sales but ruined many holiday celebrations by causing electrical outages, undelivered packages and [poor travel conditions]. December brought the coldest weather some areas have seen in decades, [including] a reading of 135.8 degrees below zero […] in Antarctica, […] the lowest temperature ever recorded on earth. […]

With this extreme weather, […] I just can’t imagine what it would be like to be homeless during this time. [Recently], USA Today reported on [Isaac Simon], a financial adviser who, [once a week] for the last six years, […] packs his white van [in Manhattan] with soup, bagels, milk and oranges and drives into areas where the homeless gather. He also has clothes to help those less fortunate. When you think that New York City, one of the wealthiest cities in the world, has [51,000 people] in their homeless shelters, […] you know America has a problem that we can’t just sweep under the rug. With that many people in need, we need hundreds of Isaac Simons to help just in Manhattan alone.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the U.S. Conference of Mayors survey of 25 large and midsize cities indicates that homelessness and hunger have increased and are expected to continue to rise in 2014. [At 15.1%], [t]he [current] poverty rate […] is still near the Great Recession high of 15.1%. In Los Angeles, 20,000 people sleep on the streets every night, and 2,000 of them are families or children living on their own. Homelessness has increased by 26% in L.A. since last year, [and] Chicago [has] reported an 11.4% increase in the number of homeless families, [as well]. […]

In my city of Phoenix, nonprofit [and government] organizations [alike] are acutely aware of the issues facing the poor. We have St. Vincent de Paul serving over 3,600 meals a day to the homeless and families in need. We have the city helping homeless vets to find places to live off the streets. Two years ago, the city identified 222 chronically homeless veterans, of which more than half served in Vietnam. Our mayor, Greg Stanton, announced right before Christmas that the final 56 veterans were placed in housing. This happened because the city council allocated an additional $100,000 in November to accelerate the efforts to help homeless vets.

President Obama’s administration has pledged to eliminate homelessness among veterans by the end of 2015, but it looks like time is running short unless cities and states get involved like Phoenix has. The Washington Post [reports] the state of Massachusetts and the Department of Veteran Affairs have put aside dollars to hire veterans, some formerly homeless, […] to help get veterans off the streets in Boston. They spend one day a week roaming the city’s storefronts, alleys and shelters seeking out these homeless veterans. The rest of the week is spent making sure those put into housing stay the course.

Now that the holidays are over, we as a society begin to focus [more] on our own needs. […] Whether it is finding a gym to get back in shape or a diet to lose the holiday pounds, our attention naturally shifts away from those who need our help 365 days a year. Homelessness is not just the responsibility of our government; it is all of our communal responsibility, whether it is in the dead of winter or the heat of summer. Obviously, volunteering is the best way to get involved, but if you don’t have the gumption of Isaac Simon or the political prowess of Mayor Stanton, then helping out with donated money is a high priority. […] The National Homeless Coalition, The Salvation Army and [CityGate Network] [editor’s note: formerly The Association of Gospel Rescue Missions] all make homelessness their priorities. […]

Maybe what we should all do is what the Lakewood Congregational Church Youth Foundation in northern Ohio does and has been doing for years. On a night in January, they sleep in cardboard boxes outside in the bitter cold and spend the evening seeking donations from community member passing by to help less fortunate families. If that does not wake up the younger generation to the needs of the homeless, then nothing will. Can you imagine if in every city in every state, we all give up the comforts of our homes for one night to experience the immorality of homelessness, what that would do for the psyche of America? I am sure that if we addressed this issue on a grassroots level and all woke up the next morning freezing cold and hungry, […] Congress would hear our collective voices saying enough is enough, and [they] would reverse the recent cuts in food stamps, show compassion with the new congressional budget deal, and help those who need unemployment benefits.

Wouldn’t that be a way to start off 2014?

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/did-not-make-it-home-for-_b_4524051.html

Can Small Businesses Survive This Christmas?

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[Supported by] Black Friday, Cyber Monday and, [now], Small Business Saturday, [sales made in] November and December […] represent as much as 40% of yearly retail stores sales, according to the National Retail Federation. [With] Thanksgiving [falling] so late on the calendar [in 2013], [though] there are six fewer shopping days between [then] and Christmas. […] On top of that, Hanukkah fell on Thanksgiving [this year], which last happened in 1888 and won’t happen again during our lifetime. This leaves only 26 shopping days left to buy stuff. […] Can small businesses […] survive into 2014?

Who are these small-business owners [who] may not be around next year? One section is immigrants who, since the beginning of America, have been the backbone of small-business retailers. [F]or centuries, there has been a merchant class [in Europe] that had a long history of selling products into established clientele. Many laws [there] protect these small retailers against bigger competitors. In America, [though], the desire to throw yourself wholeheartedly into your business by putting in long hours and becoming a beacon where relatives follow you and work for you to have room and board is part of the price of entry into retailing for many […] immigrants. Much like the family farm, [this] has become the family store for the immigrant classes to start their life in the “New World.”

Another section of small-business retailers who have emerged are entrepreneurs. […] Some may have worked for big stores and felt they could do it better; [and] others may be following an idea they have been honing since they first started shopping. These entrepreneurs are disciplined and […] focused on making their business work. These individuals are confident and don’t ask questions about whether they can succeed or are even worthy of success, because they know their business will succeed. They [know] that every situation is a business opportunity [and] that if something needs to be done, they have the ability to start it themselves. They are competitive, […] creative and can make a connection between seemingly unrelated events, [b]ut, most of all, they are passionate and genuinely love the products they sell in their stores.

We know we have to support small businesses. The government has an important division known as the U.S. Small Business Administration. Retired, successful business people know that our small businesses must survive, so they have formed [the] Service Core of Retired Executives, [or SCORE], whose mission is to mentor and grow small businesses across America. […]

Americans have tried not to forget about their neighbors running the small businesses in their towns. In 2012, when Small Business Saturday fell on November 24, [before Thanksgiving], $5.5 billion was spent at small businesses. [Last year], 100 million people participated in Small Business Saturday, […] but, obviously, this number is surpassed by the 247 million who shopped on Black Friday.

Retailers know that an increase in sales cures most problems, and, evidently, a decrease in sales creates most problems. None of us want to see more and more of these small businesses going out of business, [b]ut unless all of us step up and buy locally rather than have these local dollars go to an unknown chain corporate office outside of our city, we will see more and more of our neighbors’ businesses disappear. Local retailers give a city its character. When you think America is the true melting pot of characters, we have to support small businesses.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/can-small-businesses-surv_b_4361763.html

It Really Does Take a Village

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The partial government shutdown for 16 days caused some Americans to lose hope in our democratic way of life. If our elected officials can’t get along, what does that say about how the normal citizen can get along with their neighbors? If we can’t take care of ourselves and the basic functions of daily living, how can we even expect [to] take care of others? […]

Even though Congress postponed the inevitable with the recent passage of the funding of the government and raising the debt ceiling, both issues were just kicking the can down the road until Jan. 15, 2014, for the budget and Feb. 7, 2014, for the debt ceiling. Through all of this, the country forgot about the sequestration that started on March 1, 2013.

As reported in The Washington Post, the impact of this sequester has become very harsh to those in our society in the most need. […] Head Start,[for instance], [plans to cut] 177,000 children from their program, which [was designed to help] young children from low-income families. […] President Johnson [launched Head Start in 1965] as part of his “War on Poverty” [campaign]. In addition to the suffering we are inflicting on Head Start, 1.3 million fewer students will receive Title I education assistance, which distributes funding to schools with a high percentage of students from low-income families. On top of all of this, […] there will be 9,000 fewer special-education staff [members] in our classrooms and $291 million less [in] childcare subsidies for working families.

This […] sequestration not only affects kids, it is affecting other parts of our society. [Approximately] 760,000 […] households will receive less heating and cooling assistance under the Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program. [Additionally], $2 billion less is being sent to the National Institutes of Health, which corresponds with 1,300 fewer research grants. [I]t goes on and on. […]

We are approaching another holiday season, [and while it doesn’t feel very] festive after living through these 16 days of dysfunction, […] the spirit of America seems to be alive even though our leaders can’t get along. The boots-on-the-ground Americans are rising above the fray in Washington, D.C., to help those who need help:

  • WGGB in Springfield, Mass., reports the “Coats for Kids” campaign has begun to collect gently used coats to help families in need. The Salvation Army has been doing this campaign to help those who need it most for 33 years.
  • WKRC in Cincinnati reports how local law enforcement officers are getting child seats into the hands of those who cannot afford them so all children will be safer on the roads. […]
  • The Coshocton Tribune reports about the “Rags to Riches” clothing drive, where Ridgewood Elementary has taken the lead in helping to collect clothes for the underprivileged children in their town in Ohio.

Helping others who are struggling is a core American value that […] has to get stronger. […] Volunteering is great, but we are at a point that people will not survive unless all of us step in to help financially. We have all seen image[s] of the Great Depression in the 1930s, where America looked like a third-world country, and none of us have the desire to see that again in 2014. Most communities have The Salvation Army and The United Way. […] Nationally, the Children’s Defense Fund and Kids in Distressed Situations help get the funds where they are most needed. […]

NBC reported that [in] Marion, Iowa, [many women] have stepped in to help low-income mothers who depend on WIC, the federally funded nutrition program for women, infants and children. They are handing out baby food, formula and cereal to those who used to rely on the government to help them. This scene needs to repeat itself in every city and town across America. We have to take care of each other now, because […] we can’t [always] count on our government to take care of those most in need.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/it-really-does-take-a-vil_b_4254526.html

Brother, Can You Spare a Milk-Bone®?

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The effort in the recent Colorado floods shows our rescue missions for animals have come a long way since the pet loss disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, where people would not evacuate for fear of leaving their pets. CBS reported that some helicopters rescuing people in the Colorado flooding carried more dogs, cats and fish than people. Rescuers, using zip lines to evacuate people over the enlarged raging rivers, also risked their lives to make sure the animal members of the families were safe. The National Guard took the posture that including the pets in the rescue helped convince reluctant residents to leave their homes. Once the pets were on dry ground, the Red Cross shelters had water bowls, on-site kennels and other supplies so the already anxious evacuees would not have to be separated from their pets.

If we can rally around a disaster to ensure our four-legged companions are safe, why can’t we do the same in our day-in, day-out regular life? You have an ex-marine in Glennie, Mich., accused of torturing five dogs and six horses. In August, we had the second-largest dog fighting raid in U.S. history affecting 372 dogs in Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Georgia. These dogs ranged in age between a few days and 12 years old and were left to suffer in life-threatening heat with no visible fresh water or food, while some were tethered by chains and cables to cinder blocks and car tires. [T]hen you have an animal control officer in Long Island facing multiple charges because he had 850 snakes in his house and garage. When does our morality [related to] the sacredness of kindness in life kick in?

There are success stories. In Monticello, Ky., 80 dogs were rescued from a puppy mill. The Brown County Animal Center near Cincinnati was going to have to euthanize eight dogs at the end of the week, so they started a campaign for adoptions, and 10 dogs were adopted in time. [I]n all reality, [though], there are just not enough success stories to brag about.

The fourth quarter of the year is when we celebrate all kinds of holidays that reinforce our commitment to each other. We also should be taking care of the cats and dogs that are not as fortunate to have secure homes. We can help those suffering in Colorado from people to animals, [and] if you […] want to volunteer to help all animals in all cities, The Humane Society has a wonderful program to join their animal rescue team, where you can help save animals who are the victims of illegal animal cruelty and natural disasters. […]

In 2012, according to Statistic Brain, there were a little over 5,000 animal shelters in the United States. Five million animals entered these shelters, and 3.5 million were euthanized. […] Taxpayers pay $2 billion annually to round up, house and dispose of homeless animals. […] [T]hese numbers are mind-boggling, [y]et we only think about these poor victims when there is a flood in Colorado or a dog-fighting raid in Alabama. Since the majority of us are pet owners and pet lovers, these blameless animals that need our help every day should be at the top of our minds. Helping to support animals in need is the core of our decency. These innocent animals give us much happiness; let’s do everything we can to eliminate their pain and suffering and get them into loving homes.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/brother-can-you-spare-a-milkbone_b_4037328.html

It’s Too Expensive to Go to College Anymore

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According to the [United States] Census Bureau, there are 59 million people 25 years or older who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Business [remains] the most popular major, with 12 million [graduates], while [e]ducation [is] the second most popular, with 8 million [graduates]. The median income for high school [graduates]—[those] who [have] never [gone] to college—is $28,659 [annually]. [F]or those with some college [education] but no degree, it is $32,036 [per year], [while] those with a college degree [earn] $49,648 [annually], and those with professional degrees [bring home] $87,356. This translates [into average] lifetime earnings of $3.3 million for a doctoral degree, $2.3 million for a college degree and $1.3 million for a high school diploma.

According to CollegeData.com, the average yearly budget to attend an in-state public university is $22,261, [and t]he average [to attend] a private college is $43,289. CNN reports that the average college student in the class of 2013 faces $35,200 in debt. Putting that into perspective, the profile of the average U.S. household consumer debt shows we all owe $15,263 in credit card debt, $147,591 in mortgage debt and $31,646 in student loan debt. In total, American consumers [currently] owe $11.15 trillion in debt, of which $994 billion is in student loans, a 4% increase from 2012.

In an article in The Huffington Post this summer, [the author] predicted that student loan debt will exceed the median annual income for college grads by 2023. This is on top of the wages of college graduates actually dropping 5.4% over the last decade. Considering that Congress [has] finally agreed […], after months of haggling, to stabilize the interest rate for college loans, […] at least the uncertainty of future interest [rate] hikes has been eliminated for families facing this huge debt.

Just about every parent (94%) says they want their child to attend college, [s]o, with that encouragement, nearly 68% of high school graduates [have] started out for college (44% of these kids to community college). Compare that to 43% of Americans [who] attend church regularly and 50% of adults [who] are married [currently, and] [c]ollege is now more popular [than] religion or spouses!

In the end, only 54% of these kids actually graduate within six years of starting college, [s]o we have all these students with high hopes and dreams going in, but only about half graduate and join society with crazy student loan debt.

We would all love scholarships for our kids, but that does not happen to most. This weak economy of ours is forcing institutions to limit their generosity in scholarships and financial aid, so the average student takes on more debt than the generation before. Anyone wanting to go to college needs to explore every option for help. The Council for Opportunity in Education is a nonprofit organization […] dedicated to expanding college opportunities for low-income, first-generation students, veterans and students with disabilities. Sites to help find money and scholarships include Fast Web, FinAid and Student Aid Alliance. If you want to help fulfill kids’ dreams of going to college, look into Scholarship America to help with a donation. […]

America is the land of dreams and opportunity. Anyone who is passionate enough to want a college education should be afforded the opportunity to at least try. It would be just great if we could make a college education free just like we do a high school education, but each of us in our right mind knows this is a pipe dream, [s]o the $35,000 in student debt will turn into $45,000 for the next generation and so on. A college degree is worth a million dollars more than a high school degree over your lifetime. Being well-educated is priceless. I guess the risk of adding to your debt may be worth the reward of being a strong contributor to our economic future. I just wish it did not hurt so much.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/its-too-expensive-to-go-t_b_3935231.html

Teachers Have It Rough, but Kids Are the Ones Who Suffer

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With the start of the school year, we have yet another terrifying shooting incident—[this latest], at the McNair Discovery Learning Academy […] in Decatur, Ga., [occurred] less than a year […] from the tragedy in Newtown, Conn. Between Newtown and Decatur, the United States has [witnessed] 12 other shootings at schools.

I just can’t [imagine] how much stress this puts on all teachers. Our dedicated teachers do what they do because they have a passion to help mold the future of this country, foster creativity in young people, develop character in students and help people lead productive lives. They become teachers because of their sense of service. Having to protect kids from shootings was not part of their original job description—but it is now.

[O]n top of the stress to protect our kids, salaries have not moved much for teachers during the recession […], [b]ut what has moved […] is the money teachers take out of their own pockets to help their kids. According to USA Today, teachers will be spending an average of $400 out of their own pockets for classroom supplies […] this fall, […] up 3% from last year.

Mallori Lucas, a language arts teacher in Valparaiso, Indiana, says, “Of course we’re not forced to spend our money, [b]ut some of these kids don’t even get breakfast before they come to school, so we buy those snacks and treats.”

[T]he National Center for Education has school spending on supplies at 4.1% of the budget today compared to 8.1% [a decade ago]. Kids still need the same amount of supplies and learning materials they needed 10 years ago, but it does not look like our schools have this in their budgets.

Teachers by nature are resourceful, considering that last year, they took $3 billion out of their own pockets to help their kids, and they are going to spend even more this year. You can see this inventive behavior with what happened all over the country this summer as teachers anticipated they needed to help their students more than ever.

  • Elementary school teacher Mary Loung started Educycle, which helps other teachers sell or pass along [usable] school materials and shop for supplies they need in their classrooms. Businesses can also donate any surpluses to schools through Educycle.
  • The Chicago Sun Times reports that David Zine and Peter Baker, high school social study teachers from Aurora, rode their bicycles to Seattle to raise money for Best Buddies, a nonprofit that partners special-needs and general-education students to help forge friendships.
  • The Memphis Business Journal talks about […] Elizabeth Monda […], one of the first teachers to use the [crowdfunding] site PledgeCents […] to raise $4,000 for materials for her students. […]

How did we, as a well-educated society, get ourselves into this mess where we are putting so much stress on the teachers who we entrust with our kids every day? School should be a sanctuary of learning, maturing and growing our children into the next greatest generation. Instead, teachers worry about bullets and having enough money for the basic functions needed to educate the leaders of tomorrow.

Our current leaders have raised taxes, have us in a sequestration and can’t agree on anything to help move this country forward. Nothing has changed since Newtown, except we are spending less to help our teachers teach our kids to be decent and honorable. It is the teachers of today with their dedication and determination who will set the example for their students by their actions of caring and giving. The rest of us need to support these public servants and ease their personal burden of doing the right thing for our kids.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/teachers-have-it-roughbut_b_3805308.html