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Chicago, IL —
There are some fascinating new figures featured today in a USA Today story detailing the impacts of the recession for Americans.
• More than 50 million Americans are on Medicaid, up 17 percent since the recession began.
• More than 40 million Americans get food stamps, up 50 percent since 2007.
• About 10 million people get food stamps, which is up four times what it was before the recession began.
• More than 4 million people are on welfare, an 18 percent increase since the start of the recession.
The story says all of these increases in services have increased costs big time for the federal government as eligibility and services have been extended in most states.
There are a few interesting angles to this story:
• Today, the president is considering legislation that would provide home buyers tax credits again. With the amount of funding that has already gone into aiding folks hit by the recession, what do political leader and voters think about such a move?
• The USA Today story mentions that the increase in Medicaid is making it almost impossible for doctors to keep up with the work. Find out what life has been like for those in the health care industry since the recession has started. How have their offices managed the increase in work?
• The USA Today story says that some politicians are concerned that once the recession is over that the programs won't decrease the level at which they are serving today. Do your politicians have that concern? Could a political science professor talk about how this kind of situation usually plays out?
There are some fascinating new figures featured today in a USA Today story detailing the impacts of the recession for Americans.
• More than 50 million Americans are on Medicaid, up 17 percent since the recession began.
• More than 40 million Americans get food stamps, up 50 percent since 2007.
• About 10 million people get food stamps, which is up four times what it was before the recession began.
• More than 4 million people are on welfare, an 18 percent increase since the start of the recession.
The story says all of these increases in services have increased costs big time for the federal government as eligibility and services have been extended in most states.
There are a few interesting angles to this story:
• Today, the president is considering legislation that would provide home buyers tax credits again. With the amount of funding that has already gone into aiding folks hit by the recession, what do political leader and voters think about such a move?
• The USA Today story mentions that the increase in Medicaid is making it almost impossible for doctors to keep up with the work. Find out what life has been like for those in the health care industry since the recession has started. How have their offices managed the increase in work?
• The USA Today story says that some politicians are concerned that once the recession is over that the programs won't decrease the level at which they are serving today. Do your politicians have that concern? Could a political science professor talk about how this kind of situation usually plays out?
