http://www.inthesetimes.com/archives/tags/social+services/ In These Times features award-winning investigative reporting about corporate malfeasance and government wrongdoing, insightful analysis of national and international affairs, and sharp cultural criticism about events and ideas that matter. en-us Expression Engine jessica@inthesetimes.com seamus@inthesetimes.com Tue, 28 Nov 2006 05:00:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2925/live_at_your_own_risk/ For three decades, the gap between the rich and everyone else has grown in the United States. At the same time, working people have faced greater economic uncertainty, their incomes have fluctuated more dramatically, and both employers and governments have cut back on measures such as pensions and health insurance that helped mitigate the uncertainties of life. Yale political scientist Jacob Hacker calls this the great risk shift--transferring the burden of risks in life from collective institutions to individuals. Hacker observes that "Social Security, Medicare, private health insurance, traditional guaranteed pensions--all sent the same reassuring message: someone is watching out for you, all of us are watching out for you, when things go bad. Today, the message is starkly different:… Economy Books Social Services Susan J. Douglas Mon, 18 Dec 2006 05:00:01 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2941/we_are_all_waiters_now/ Now that the Democrats run Congress, the question becomes, "What should they do?" Yes, raise the minimum wage. And yes, fix the Medicare drug program. But will this bind a new majority to the party? We're often told, "Democrats have no ideas." But that's a silly thing to say. Washington, D.C., is crawling with foundation-types bubbling with new ideas, and if anything, the Democrats are awash with new ideas. Many of these new ideas may make their way into law. And we need not have the cynicism of Mario Cuomo, who once said, "In America, a new idea is a cereal that grows hair." But what the Democrats don't have is a serious commitment--the political nerve--to make people happier in… social services politics economy Susan J. Douglas Wed, 07 Mar 2007 05:00:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3059/the_health_care_monster_returns/ Like the creature from the Black Lagoon, the health insurance monster has returned, creeping back onto the public stage. After President Clinton's jury-rigged pen to contain the monster collapsed in 1994, it never really went away. Political leaders tried to ignore the beast or deal piecemeal with its ravages, but it pushed more unsuspecting civilians into the uninsured pit, devoured more family budgets, squeezed even giant corporations' ability to compete globally, and raised fear and insecurity among the populace. Now its depredations have become too loathsome to ignore for even cautious politicians and business executives -- who still are inclined to see the monster as one of their own. After a rebuff in the fall elections, when voters ranked health… medical health social services Susan J. Douglas Thu, 08 Mar 2007 05:00:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3063/which_side_are_we_on/ In early February, President Bush told a group of Wall Street executives that "income inequality is real; it's been rising for more than 25 years. ... And the question is whether we respond to the income inequality we see with policies that help lift people up, or tear others down." It's ironic that this president raised the issue of income inequality because his own trickle-down economic policies have contributed to the growing gap between the very rich and everyone else, a situation worse today than at any time since the '20s. Despite Bush's professed concern, the budget he recently submitted to Congress will exacerbate the enormous gap between the rich and the poor, squeeze the middle class, reward war profiteers… congress social services Susan J. Douglas Mon, 18 Jun 2007 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3233/what_vacation_days/ Last year Mary Lou Eckart took her first vacation in five years, a trip from her home in Decatur, Ill., to see her grandchildren in Florida. But the Illinois state government, which pays her to care for a severely disabled teenage girl, provides her no paid vacation time. So Eckart took the girl--and her work--with her. She faces a similar bind if she gets sick. "I just had an incident two weeks ago," she says. "I had an inner ear infection that I didn't know about, and I passed out. My 17-year-old daughter covered for me while I recovered. I get no paid vacation, no time off, no sick leave. But if they put these clients in a nursing home,… labor social services Susan J. Douglas