National True Cost of Living Coalition’s Post

How can policymakers better understand families’ circumstances, their resources, and the costs of fully participating in today’s society and #economy? Join Urban on 11/20 @ 1:30 p.m. ET for a virtual discussion on the “true cost of economic security” measure and how policymakers and researchers can leverage insights from this research to improve American #families’ well-being. Register now. https://urbn.is/3Cfs9Pn #LiveatUrban

Interesting session about a new Urban Institute tool on the "True Cost of Economic Security."

𝗔 𝗚𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡-𝗨𝗣 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 Excerpts: "The assumption of the post-war West that the state could provide unlimited resources to insure its population against poverty, ill health and social disadvantage while maintaining a thriving market economy, has reached its endgame." "This is a crisis of the democratic socialism which, in one form or another, has prevailed in all the advanced countries. A great debate had dominated a succession of governing generations: how can you provide what electorates now expect in terms of welfare state security and publicly-run services while permitting the freedom that allows private enterprise (which must fund all of this beneficence) to grow and prosper?" "Now, thanks to a peculiar succession of events that included a European war and a pandemic, we have the answer: you can’t. The demand for limitless government support and intervention is simply incompatible with the fluctuations of a market economy which must expand through innovation and individual enterprise if it is to produce the only real wealth there is." "Let’s have a grown-up conversation. We know that many people have come to expect unconditional support and relief whenever they feel they are in need. There are any number of vociferous, self-serving career advocates who lobby for that cause. But we also know that many of you (probably the majority of the country, in fact) want a flourishing economy that will allow you to earn more and spend more, as well as providing opportunities for your children to prosper. No government can provide both of these things: any party that says it can, is lying." by Janet Daley Full article: https://lnkd.in/eV8qKYG7

This recent article from Tulsa World Media Company covers a report from our Oklahoma City Branch which shows that Oklahoma’s labor force participation rate has exceeded the national rate for the first time in decades. You can read the article here: https://bit.ly/40ff5n0 #FederalReserve #Oklahoma #OklahomaCity #LaborForce #Workforce #Economy

The labor force participation rate in Hamilton County is projected to increase in the traditional working age group (25-54) while decreasing in the 55-74 age group. Factors contributing to this trend include increased retirement benefits and personal savings among older individuals. Despite the aging population, the Talent InSight 2030 report predicts the county's labor force is expected to continue growth, with a consistently low unemployment rate for the next seven years. Learn more about the economic future of Hamilton County in the Talent InSight 2030 report. https://lnkd.in/g4ec-HpJ

As federal poverty rates rise, another group is also rapidly growing—ALICE households. At United Way, ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These households, which consist of those who--despite working at least one job, do not earn enough to cover basic living costs like housing, child care, food, transportation and technology. In our region, 363,000 people fall into the ALICE threshold—an increase of 40,000 from last year, meaning there are 20,600 more households who do not earn enough to cover the basic necessities. Our President & CEO Bobbi Watt Geer and Chief Program and Policy Officer Sally Davis Ellwein MSW, MPH recently shared insights with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the challenges faced by these hardworking families and the ways that United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania is helping our communities to not only survive, but thrive. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e43VCbDA"

GOOD NEWS: The Minnesota Story State governments can do a lot to shape economic wellbeing, yet the average person rarely sees that. Research by Topos finds that “the MN story” is a powerful case for advocates: “Minnesota had many of the same problems as other states—aging population, industries had left. So they raised the minimum wage, and increased the state income tax on the wealthy, and plowed more money into education and in creating the sorts of communities that employees and employers both want. This helped create almost 30 times the jobs that the previous administration had, and Forbes now ranks Minnesota as a top 10 best state for business.”  Research respondents, including conservatives, conclude, “We should do that too!”   We're hoping to hear more from MN Governor (now VP candidate) Tim Walz about these great solutions! **Watch residents in Maine react to the Minnesota Story in this video.**

THE INTERGENERATIONAL THREAT TO LIBERAL DEMOCRACY An extract from my Substack article: "No matter the unexpected crisis, the response of Western governments is always to transfer more money to the older generations. Covid! Let’s spend more money on healthcare. Tax revenues getting short! Let’s prioritise the “pensions triple lock”. People are living longer! Let’s splash out on welfare. Economic crisis! Let’s ensure that those house prices keep rising. I don’t blame our governing masters. After all, it’s the older people that vote. It’s the older people who have a reason to vote.  And how they are rewarded for doing so.  The problem with this most obvious and unjust of inequalities is that there isn’t an obvious consequence for the older generations to worry about. Are children going to rise up against their parents? Are grandchildren going to declare revolution on the elderly? No. Of course not. And thus this issue will continue to perpetuate itself, causing increasing anger among the young in the process.  And by young I don’t mean wee nippers. I mean under 45s." Read more. Hit the link below! #generations #democracy #liberal #housing #young #rent

#MemorialDay weekend is almost here. ALICE will be working hard to kick off the summer – even as they continue to be priced out of survival. “ALICE in the Crosscurrents: An Update on Financial Hardship in Iowa” shows that while wages for the lowest paid jobs have risen across the country at the fastest rate in four decades, the number of struggling households in Iowa grew by nearly 24,280 from 2021 to 2022. The result:  37% of households statewide are living paycheck to paycheck as of 2022.  Explore the new #UnitedForALICE data: UnitedForALICE.org/Iowa #ALICE2024 #Oneyearlater #economy #workingpoor #poverty

#MemorialDay weekend is almost here. ALICE will be working hard to kick off the summer – even as they continue to be priced out of survival. “ALICE in the Crosscurrents: An Update on Financial Hardship in Iowa” shows that while wages for the lowest paid jobs have risen across the country at the fastest rate in four decades, the number of struggling households in Iowa grew by nearly 24,280 from 2021 to 2022. The result:  37% of households statewide are living paycheck to paycheck as of 2022.  Explore the new #UnitedForALICE data: UnitedForALICE.org/Iowa #ALICE2024 #Oneyearlater #economy #workingpoor #poverty