Rent's Too Damn High for US Families!

According to a report on the CNN website, 43% of American Families are living over their heads. "Nearly 51 million households don't earn enough to afford a monthly budget that includes housing, food, child care, health care, transportation and a cell phone, according to a study released Thursday by the United Way ALICE Project." The  Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE)  Project is a joint effort from a number of 18 state United Way agencies including Iowa.

Despite the fact that the US's unemployment rate stands at 3.9%, 66% of American workers are paid below $20 per hour including 16.1 million who live below the national poverty level. While our national minimum wage is sitting at below $8.00 per hour, is now the time to seriously discuss a national living wage? When hard-working families are unable to afford the cost of basic necessities, we are failing to make America by anybody's estimation great now or again.

Key Findings from the United Way ALICE Report for Iowa:

•  381,266 Iowa households - 31% - struggle to afford basic household expenses
• Federal Poverty Level indicates only 12% of Iowa households faced financial hardship - an ADDITIONAL 19% of households fall below the ALICE Threshold (meeting a household survival budget)
• ALICE households comprise between 21% and 41% of the population in every Iowa county
• More than one quarter - 28% - of senior households fall below the ALICE Threshold
• Over 92,000 households with children fall below the ALICE Threshold
• The average annual household Survival Budget for a four-person family in Iowa is $46,680, while the Federal Poverty Level for the same family is $23,850
• Childcare represents a family's greatest expense - $928/month for one infant and one preschooler in licensed and accredited childcare; $745 for the same children in registered in-home care
• 68% of Iowa jobs pay less than $20/hour; 48% of those pay between $10 - $15 per hour
• In 2011, 22% of Iowa's households had less than $4,632 in savings or other assets
• Total public and private spending on Iowa households below the ALICE Threshold is $7.2 billion
• 44% of renters spend more than 30% of their household income on rent. 

The "E" Word

Loathe as I am to say it, perception of "electability" is often the factor that swings their vote, when push comes to shove, to those who caucus in Iowa. As a Howard Dean supporter in 2004, I saw first hand how quickly the wind changes direction when people realize the importance of their choice to nominating a party's Presidential candidate. Undecided voters in particular are swayed by the electability card, as John Kerry gained a huge amount of his support in the waning moments just before the caucus in '04.

In my estimation, electability is one of those subjective factors that often is more about perceptions of candidate's ability to lead or win than our sharing their views. Case in point, most of the stuff that Democrats are campaigning on in 2008 is the vision that Dennis Kucinich voiced in 2004. Did the Democrats nominate him in 2004? Are they likely to do it in 2008?--No. Why? Because while the message was right, the messenger was/is perceived to be wrong. Like it or not, people rely on their perceptions of the candidates' leadership ability as well as what they say about issues that matter to them--hence what makes a candidate electable.

It is interesting to see that John Edwards continues to be the only major Democrat that is perceived by those polled to be able to defeat all of the major Republican contenders, as this new CNN poll reflects. Now whether it is strictly about views or leadership or swaying a certain type of voter, I am not sure.

CNN Poll Shows in Head to Head Races

Clinton (D) 51%, Giuliani (R) 45%
Clinton (D) 54%, Romney (R) 43%
McCain (R) 50%, Clinton (D) 48%
Clinton (D) 54%, Huckabee (R) 44%

Obama (D) 52%, Giuliani (R) 45%
Obama (D) 54%, Romney (R) 41%
McCain (R) 48%, Obama (D) 48%
Obama (D) 55%, Huckabee (R) 40%

Edwards (D) 53%, Giuliani (R) 44%
Edwards (D) 59%, Romney (R) 37%
Edwards (D) 52%, McCain (R) 44%
Edwards (D) 60%, Huckabee (R) 35%

John and Elizabeth Edwards: The Public Eye Never Blinks

Elizabeth Edwards has breast cancer. She and John have lost a son. To most of us, these are personal matters. To the press and campaign operatives, they are motives to be questioned and less than subtly, implying that there is something more sinister there, as I watched this morning on CNN when John Dickerson from Slate was interviewed about his less than insightful commentary. CNN's news team asked Dickerson if he thought that Elizabeth Edwards had been talking about her and John's personal losses in the new Edward's campaign ad.

Elizabeth Edwards responded to his commentary by suggesting that he look at John's record as a trial lawyer, as therein lies examples of the "toughness" that is referred to in the ad. But that wasn't enough for CNN or Mr. Dickerson. There was a need to dissect the ad which, is intended to battle a different issue, the barrage of innuendo about Edward's "manliness".

Whether it is the droning on about the haircut or the oft repeated "Breck Girl" comments, Edwards is being set fire to, not unlike how Harold Ford, Jr. was in his Tennessee Senate race. This version of Swift Boating is the latest in an attempt to sink the campaign of a very qualified candidate, in terms of knowledge of issues and his ability to connect to people.

Whether you support Edwards, as I admittedly do, or not, we all should be outraged at the underhanded tactics that are being employed. Clearly the same knives that are out to gut John Edwards will be out for whomever the Democrats ultimately choose.