Jim Pugh
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Articles by Jim Pugh
What AI Could Mean for Accessing Public Benefits
For decades, technological evangelists have heralded each flashy new tech advancement as transformative and world-changing. From videophones to flying cars, the true impact has almost never lived up to the hype. However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that recent developments in generative artificial intelligence, or AI, are likely no over-promise.
Jim Pugh
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AI Could Be a Godsend for Accessing Public Benefits-Or a Nightmare
Jim Pugh August 11, 2023 For decades, technological evangelists have heralded each flashy new tech advancement as transformative and world-changing. From videophones to flying cars, the true impact has almost never lived up to the hype. However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that recent developments in generative artificial intelligence (AI) are likely no over-promise.
The Hunger Cliff Shows That the GOP Is Pro-Poverty
For much of the Covid-19 pandemic, families enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) were able to receive additional assistance each month. Known as SNAP emergency allotments, this extra support had a profound impact in ensuring that families with children could get enough to eat throughout the crisis, keeping an estimated 4.2 million people above the poverty line and reducing child poverty by 14% in the last quarter of 2021.
Opinion | Reviving the Child Tax Credit Is a Winning Campaign Message for Democrats This Coming Midterms
The expanded Child Tax Credit was the most impactful anti-poverty program in a generation. Democrats should campaign on bringing it back. With the November midterm elections fast approaching, the path the United States government will take over the next two years is looking very uncertain. Recent polling shows that control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives is up for grabs between Democrats and Republicans.
Forcing People to Work So They Can Get a Child Tax Credit Is a Terrible Idea
Above Photo: Sens. Mitt Romney and Joe Manchin want you to work, no matter the cost. (Al Drago-Pool / Getty Images) Work Requirements Don’t Actually Increase Employment Or Reduce Poverty. But Republicans And Conservative Democrats Are Pushing Them Anyway. Last year, Anna James, a mother from Fayetteville, NC received a lifeline: monthly payments from the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC).
Retiring Dr. Phillips Center chairman Jim Pugh: Thank you for 19 years | Commentary
Nearly two decades ago, we set out to build one of the greatest performing arts centers in the world. Now, in 2022, the project fills me with admiration, gratitude and promise. During my 19-year term as chairman which came to an end in June, I have been so proud to be among the visionaries, donors and leaders who believed philanthropy can shape a community and who stayed the course through the many challenges along the way.
Forcing People to Work So They Can Get a Child Tax Credit Is a Terrible Idea
Work requirements don’t actually increase employment or reduce poverty. But Republicans and conservative Democrats are pushing them anyway. Jim Pugh July 13, 2022 Last year, Anna James, a mother from Fayetteville, NC received a lifeline: monthly payments from the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC). The program provided critical financial support as she cared for her two little boys who suffered from a rare and often fatal genetic disease.
During the Pandemic, Poor Areas Have Had Twice the Death Rates of Rich Ones
What does equity look like when it comes to governmental pandemic response? As the Covid-19 crisis moves into its third year and the death toll has risen to over one million people in the United States and nearly 15 million worldwide, the question of equity is critical. An equitable response, first and foremost, prioritizes people who are more at risk and protects them from the worst impacts of the virus.
The Troubling Gap Between What’s Offered By Our Social Safety Net And What’s Received
Above Photo: Shutterstock. The People Most In Need Often Don’t Receive Public Benefits. Here Are Some Ways To Fix That. How much support do people actually receive from the social safety net? That’s the question that a recently released report from the University of Southern California’s Price Center for Social Innovation aimed to answer.
The Troubling Gap Between What’s Offered by Our Social Safety Net and What’s Received
How much support do people actually receive from the social safety net? That’s the question that a recently released report from the University of Southern California’s Price Center for Social Innovation aimed to answer. The report, titled “Examining the Complex Social Safety Net for Low-Income Working Families,” explored what social programs are available to Los Angeles residents and how the support they receive from those programs varies as their wages increase.
How Targeting Programs to Poor People Leaves Out Poor People
Less than one year ago, the United States government enacted one of the most effective anti-poverty programs in modern history. The Child Tax Credit (CTC), originally established in 1997, was expanded through the American Rescue Plan to provide families with children substantially larger payments, delivered monthly, while making low-income families eligible for the full benefits.
Don't Just Send People Money During a Pandemic-Do It All the Time
It’s become almost a cliché in the politics of Washington, D.C.: Every time someone proposes expanding a social program or creating a new one, scores of politicians, lobbyists and so-called economic “experts” will pop up to tell you that it will cost too much and we can’t afford it. Somehow, money is never an issue when it comes to tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations or increasing our military budget, but programs that support everyday people are just too damn expensive.
$2,000 Checks Now-And Make Them Monthly
“It’s not hyperbole, you can change America,” President-elect Joe Biden told Georgia voters ahead of the January 5 runoff Senate elections. And they have. Not only did Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff’s wins hand Democrats control of the Senate, but the election served as a clear referendum on voters’ demand for increased stimulus payments directly to the American people.
The Next Pandemic Stimulus Bill Must Be Race-Conscious
As Congress struggles to agree on a new stimulus bill to support people during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s vital that we recognize what didn’t work in the first stimulus through the CARES Act. One thing has become shamefully clear: Congressional leaders’ lack of attention to the deep structural racial inequities that undergird economic fragility and joblessness in the first place has resulted in far too many Black and Latinx Americans being left out and left behind.
Give Every Child a $1,000 Trust Account and the Next Crisis Won’t Be So Bad
To weather the economic wreckage of the Covid-19 crisis—and prepare for future disasters—we should enact a universal basic income and a Just Futures Fund. We have an opportunity to use the lever of public policy in favor of racial and economic justice. While it’s true that everyone has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government’s response to the crisis is failing two groups in particular: Black and Latinx Americans.
The Right Way to Give Everyone Cash in the Midst of the Coronavirus Crisis
For a cash payout plan to work it must be universal, long-lasting and supplemented with other social programs. With cash, people are better equipped to handle whatever comes their way. There is a rapidly emerging consensus in Washington, DC: The best response to the coronavirus pandemic is to give people cash. A slew of proposals has been put forth by legislators over the past two weeks. Rep.
The food stamp work requirement is a scheme to punish hungry Americans
Growing up in Boonville, California in the 1990s, a friend of mine would sometimes jokingly use the phrase "the beatings will continue until morale improves." If people are feeling bad, what better incentive to change their mood than getting repeatedly whacked with a stick? The recent proposal by Congress to add work requirements to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) reminded me of that phrase.
Florida couple thankful for courteous service
Dear Editor: On our way home to Florida after evacuating to Alabama during the recent hurricane, we experienced a "fender-bender" accident in Albany, Georgia. We would like to express publicly our gratitude to some exceptional business people who went far beyond the call of duty on our behalf. Officer Corp. M. Williams was prompt, efficient, courteous and informative with patience.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Push for a Green New Deal Is Not Just Good Policy-It’s Political Genius
By taking the demand straight to the halls of power, Ocasio-Cortez is building support for a policy that could stave off climate change and transform the economy. By shining a spotlight on what would normally be an internal process decision, Ocasio-Cortez has turned the Green New Deal Committee creation into a referendum on the populist progressive agenda.
A California Climate Dividend Fund, featuring Senator Bob Wieckowski
A California Climate Dividend Fund, featuring Senator Bob Wieckowski California may be poised to take the next big step towards universal basic income, by establishing a universal dividend fund through a proposed reform of the state’s cap-and-trade system. State Senator Bob Wieckowski, author of the bill, spoke to Owen and Jim about the motivation behind the legislation and what it’ll take to get it passed.
Rep. Chris Lee on Basic Income Legislation in Hawaii
Rep. Chris Lee on Basic Income Legislation in Hawaii Last week, Hawaii became the first state to pass legislation on universal basic income, declaring that everyone in the state deserves basic financial security. The bill’s author, Representative Chris Lee, joined the Basic Income Podcast to discuss the legislation and his views on basic income.
How fighting climate change can move us towards universal basic income
Universal income through a carbon dividend, featuring Peter Barnes One of the most popular stepping-stone policies towards universal basic income is the carbon dividend, which takes revenue from a cap-and-trade system and distributes it equally to everyone. Peter Barnes, pioneer of the carbon dividend, joins the Basic Income Podcast to discuss his inspiration for the policy and how it could move us closer to basic income.
The Case for Giving Every American a Share of a Public Wealth Fund
Friday, Sep 28, 2018, 4:11 pm BY Jim Pugh A social wealth fund could help solve the inequality crisis in the United States. (YASIN AKGUL/AFP/Getty Images) In late August, the People’s Policy Project, a left-wing think tank run by economist and writer Matt Bruenig, released a proposal for the creation of a social wealth fund in the United States.
Republicans' Food Stamp Work Requirement Is a Scheme to Punish Hungry Americans
Growing up in Boonville, California in the 1990s, a friend of mine would sometimes jokingly use the phrase "the beatings will continue until morale improves." If people are feeling bad, what better incentive to change their mood than getting repeatedly whacked with a stick? Some of the most common barriers to employment are insufficient education or skills, mental health issues, hiring biases and a lack of job opportunities.
The Food Stamp Work Requirement Is a Scheme to Punish Hungry Americans
Friday, Jun 15, 2018, 2:39 pm BY Jim Pugh SNAP has a profound positive impact on hungry families. (Getty) Growing up in Boonville, California in the 1990s, a friend of mine would sometimes jokingly use the phrase "the beatings will continue until morale improves." If people are feeling bad, what better incentive to change their mood than getting repeatedly whacked with a stick?
Why Switzerland’s Universal Basic Income referendum matters, even though it failed
Today, Switzerland is the first country in the world to vote on Universal Basic Income—an income floor for all Swiss residents through cash transfers from the government. Here’s what you need to know to understand today’s vote, as well as the growing basic income movement in the United States and beyond.
It’s time to start talking seriously about Basic Income
Let’s start with the bad news: The robots are stealing our jobs. That may sound like science fiction hyperbole to many of you, but it really shouldn’t — it’s been happening for years, and there are now hundreds of jobs disappearing every day. No, I’m not talking about a scenario where WALL-E rolls up and kicks you out of your cubicle. The way that robots are stealing our jobs is by automating the work we do today.
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