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Clarifying ‘Overlooked And Undercounted’ Study
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor:
After reading your article regarding PathWays PA’s newest study, “Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania,” we wanted to make a few clarifications about the study.
The purpose of the study is to show how many families live below the level needed to support themselves and their families, and what opportunities they need to lift themselves above that standard. The Self-Sufficiency Standard, on which it is based, is a conservative estimate of family needs, relying entirely on federal and state data on the costs of living, which includes no room for entertainment such as movies, restaurant meals, or other entertainment.
In “Overlooked and Undercounted,” PathWays PA advocates for households to have access to training opportunities that lead to better jobs here in Pennsylvania. Since education takes time, we also advocate for services that support families as they move towards self-sufficiency, including services that help families work while keeping their children safe: child care and healthcare.
These services are not “an expansion of the welfare state,” but a short-term investment that leads to long-term health, safety, and self-sufficiency for families in Pennsylvania.
Carol Goertzel, President/CEO, PathWays PA
After reading your article regarding PathWays PA’s newest study, “Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania,” we wanted to make a few clarifications about the study.
The purpose of the study is to show how many families live below the level needed to support themselves and their families, and what opportunities they need to lift themselves above that standard. The Self-Sufficiency Standard, on which it is based, is a conservative estimate of family needs, relying entirely on federal and state data on the costs of living, which includes no room for entertainment such as movies, restaurant meals, or other entertainment.
In “Overlooked and Undercounted,” PathWays PA advocates for households to have access to training opportunities that lead to better jobs here in Pennsylvania. Since education takes time, we also advocate for services that support families as they move towards self-sufficiency, including services that help families work while keeping their children safe: child care and healthcare.
These services are not “an expansion of the welfare state,” but a short-term investment that leads to long-term health, safety, and self-sufficiency for families in Pennsylvania.
Carol Goertzel, President/CEO, PathWays PA
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| In Memory Of Rev. Clifford |
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LVTfan wrote on May 21, 2009 7:48 PM:
See lvtfan.typepad.com for the calculation.
And where is the need the greatest? Philadelphia.
Think about the possibility that a large contributor to Philadelphia's problems are (1) its reliance on wage taxes and (2) its miserable system of property assessments which fails to tax its land values in a way which would motivate the private sector to create jobs which pay well and provide wages on which families can thrive. These things are interlinked, and ignoring that doesn't change it.
Taxing land value will cause good things to happen. Taxing wages causes bad things to happen. Taxing buildings causes bad things to happen.
See also Harrisburg's experience. "