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Alison Channon, Program Assistant

My Take

Dear Governor: Slashing Income Taxes Hurts the Neediest Kansans

Posted by Alison Channon, Program Assistant | Posted on: January 28, 2013 at 10:46 am

Kansas governor Sam Brownback wants to eliminate the state income tax. Yes, you read that correctly. The governor wants to join the small list of states that have chosen to eliminate a crucial revenue stream. In 2012, Governor Brownback sharply cut income tax rates to the tune of $850 million dollars in lost revenue for the coming fiscal year. Amid those big tax cuts that primarily benefit high-earners, he found time to eliminate tax provisions that benefit low-income Kansans, including a refund of sales tax paid on food and a state tax credit for child and dependent care expenses.

Consider these numbers: The poorest 20 percent of Kansans will spend, on average, an additional $148 per year on taxes because of the repeal of tax provisions aimed at low-income people. This is a significant blow to women and female-headed families in Kansas,  13.8 percent and 40.9 percent of whom live in poverty. Meanwhile, the richest one percent of Kansans will save an average of $21,087 per year on their state income taxes. As one Kansas state legislator told the New York Times, this tax package is “Robin Hood in reverse.”

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Students are Back to Class but Missing Out on After School Opportunities

Posted by Alison Channon, Program Assistant | Posted on: August 29, 2012 at 03:55 pm

Monday evening, a group of children brought home dried bean mosaics. The week before that they brought home animals made from clay. And the week before that they brought home papier maché masks. All this artwork is courtesy of students in the afterschool art club my cousin teaches.

My cousin comes up with super creative projects – puppets, collages, sculptures, and lots of papier maché. The children’s work is colorful and charming and I can only imagine how much fun they have after school with Ms. Liz.

But not every child has access to a fun and educational afterschool program. Last week, the Afterschool Alliance, an organization that advocates for affordable, high-quality afterschool opportunities, released a report (pdf) showing that afterschool programs are struggling to meet community needs in a time of high unemployment and reduced economic security among many families.

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Raising the Minimum Wage Can Reduce Unemployment

Posted by Alison Channon, Program Assistant | Posted on: August 23, 2012 at 04:57 pm

Over the past few years, we’ve all heard a lot of people blame a lot of different things for high unemployment. Is it high taxes? Burdensome regulations? An angry jobs monster?

This week, Dylan Matthews of the Washington Post reviewed economic evidence which reveals that the biggest driver of high unemployment is low demand. Over 8 percent of Americans are unemployed, and lower-income and middle-class Americans have seen their income and wealth decrease over the last decade. So as you might imagine, many are pinching their pennies and spending less on goods and services. The end result is that businesses don’t have enough money or confidence to hire more workers.

The key, then, to really chipping into high unemployment numbers is creating more demand for goods and services. Matthews suggests looser monetary policy and fiscal stimulus. Here’s another idea: increase the minimum wage.

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Women’s Olympic Boxing Knocks Out Last All-Male Sport

Posted by Alison Channon, Program Assistant | Posted on: August 07, 2012 at 04:49 pm

This summer, women across the United States have been cheering for the fortieth anniversary of Title IX, the landmark law that opened the doors for women in sports and education. And now we’re joining women across the world to cheer women’s firsts at the 2012 London Olympics.

The London games mark the first Olympics where all 205 country delegations have sent a woman to the games – including Saudi Arabia, where women aren’t allowed to drive cars. Over 40 percent of the nearly 10,500 athletes competing are women. For the first time ever, Team USA is sending more women than men to the games.

And our biggest cheer of all, there is now no summer sport that is restricted to men. Boxing, the last of the summer games’ all male-sports and one of the most macho, has finally been opened to women!

Of course, there’s a caveat. As the New York Times reported, only 36 female boxers are competing in three weight classes at this summer’s games, compared to 250 male boxers in ten weight classes.

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Listen to Rita: Child Care Helps Families Get Back on Their Feet

Posted by Alison Channon, Program Assistant | Posted on: July 27, 2012 at 10:11 am

Wednesday, I attended a rally organized by the NDD Summit, a group that the National Women’s Law Center has joined that is working to protect important domestic programs that would face across-the-board cuts starting in January. These are programs that educate our children, support our elderly citizens, and help low-income women afford child care so they can work and their children can get a strong start in school. At the rally, I listened to a mother share how the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) helped her achieve self-sufficiency when she was struggling.

Three years ago, after the dissolution of her marriage, Rita Ngabo found herself jobless and homeless with a 9-month old baby. With the help of temporary cash assistance and a child care subsidy through CCDBG, Rita was able to attend classes to develop work skills and go on interviews to secure a job. As Rita says, it was hard work, but it paid off. She is now a child care case worker in Maryland who helps other parents who were in her shoes, and her daughter is thriving.

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