Child poverty skyrockets in Colorado

[bobbolink]

Child poverty skyrockets in Colorado
By Allison Sherry
The Denver Post
Posted: 04/13/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT
Updated: 04/13/2010 10:34:48 AM MDT

Cheyenne Hudspeth, 2, tries to pick up a bag of bread that she and her mom, Sydni, gathered up at the JeffCo Action Center on Monday while they waited for more assistance. Child-poverty rates have significantly increased in suburban Denver, including Jefferson County. (THE DENVER POST | JUDY DEHAAS)

Colorado has the fastest-growing child-poverty rate in the nation — a distinction attributed to a burgeoning number of poor in Denver's suburbs and a widening gap between Latino and non-Latino income.

While the state ranked 22nd nationally, Colorado's child-poverty rate has climbed 72 percent since 2000, according to KIDS COUNT in Colorado, an annual report by the Colorado Children's Campaign.

(snip)
"This is an alarm; this is a wake-up call," said Federico Peña, Denver's former mayor and a Denver Public Schools adviser. "The Latino population is growing in numbers, they are the largest minority group, and they continue to not receive a quality education and they continue to not be as fully productive as they can be." Chris Watney, president of the Colorado Children's Campaign, agreed.

In Jefferson County Public Schools, the number of homeless kids enrolled has grown from 59 in 2001 to 2,400 this school year.

(snip)
Allison Sherry: 303-954-1377 or [e-mail]

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14871634

[phantom power]

1. Extended 10% unemployment will do that.

:(

[notadmblnd]

2. hiring illegal immigrants and paying them substandard wages will do it too.

[iamtechus]

3. Is your bias showing?

"Illegal" immigrants don't receive any public assistance, i.e. unemployment, food stamps etc., and therefore don't show up in the statistics cited in the article.

[notadmblnd]

4. No, but their offspring, being american citizens do.

And no, I made no judgment in my statement as to my feeling toward illegal immigrants, you brought the bias in.

However, the exploitation of the Hispanic community by the business community (because they are in this country illegally) hurts us all, them most importantly. If employers were not allowed to pay substandard wages to these people, there'd be a lot less children living in poverty.


Try again to find some biased statement in my remarks, or does the exploitation of these people not bother you?

[gatorboy]

10. He must be a business owner...

[notadmblnd]

15. I hate it when people pull the race card to shut down discussions on issues

that are controversial. The exploitation of human beings will overtake the drug trade in number of $$ that are made illicitly. If not already, then in this decade, but people only seem concerned if a person wants to burn a big fatty in their homes and not the numbers of people that are currently living in slave like conditions.

[DavidDvorkin]

19. It's around 8% in Colorado.

[caseycoon]

5. K&R It's terrible in CO..

It's terrible all over the country.
We're talking millions of chidren.
:cry:

[bobbolink]

6. We're talking documented 1.25 million HOMELESS school children.

Not including infants and toddlers.

1.25 million school children homeless in the richest country in the world.

Where is the outrage?

[laughingliberal]

7. It's heartbreaking. Rec for visibility. nt

[caseycoon]

8. Kick

This needs to be seen!

[mikeSchmuckabee]

9. Darn those child labor regulations!

I mean aren't most children in colorado unemployed. We could use them in the coal mines again. And even illegals won't work for ice cream.

[Cirque du So-What]

11. Late-afternoon K & R for hunger & poverty awareness

The fact that so many are going hungry in this country is a goddamned disgrace.

[bobbolink]

12. And the fact that so many "progressives" defend it is..... WTF

Thanks for the kick.... I'm afraid I can't find the humor in any of this. :(

[cutlassmama]

13. Agreed. K&R

[femrap]

14. This is not a great time

to bring other humans into the world. Seriously.

[bobbolink]

16. We, The People have the control over whether it is a good time or not.

If you are doing the blame the victim thing, then I suggest you look closer at the reality of what these children are facing.

[femrap]

26. I was talking about young women and men

who may be contemplating bringing more children into this world. duh!

Of course we must care for those already here....I don't know why more people aren't SHAMING the Anti-Choice movement into taking care of these hungry and poor children.

I am an advocate of Population Control. The Earth has only so many resources. And the children of the US consume them at an outrageous rate compared to other nations.. We are no longer an agrarian society requiring a large family.

edit for typo

[Bluebear]

18. Well, they're here. let's clothe, feed and house them!

[femrap]

27. I do....now

go tell that to the Anti-Choice Movement. You'll find them every Saturday at your local Planned Parenthood Centers. Shame them into adoption of all of the Foster Children hanging in limbo.

They just like fetuses and having power over women. Go shame them into caring for those already here. I give to the needy and always have.

The world is at a major crossroads. I am an advocate of Population Control.

How many women feel pressured to have more children than they want? From peers, family, husbands? Or for lack of funds to get an abortion?

I see unwanted children every day. And they grow up to fill the Corporate prisons.

Having a child is the biggest responsibility one will ever have. And many males think little of that responsibility.

[donheld]

17. It's a damned shame

[Soulis]

20. Youbetcha! Not Colombia!

Colorado!

:wtf:

[Desertrose]

21. late nite K&R

for kids..who always need a home.

[lonestarnot]

22. K & R!

[dajoki]

23. The number that hits me...

is the increase in homeless students, that is a big jump no matter how you look at it. I guess this goes back to a lack of housing and low wages. I'm sure this is happening all over the country but these numbers clearly show that Colorado has taken the shameful lead. And that is only the ones that are counted.

[JNelson6563]

24. Educate the kids and teach birth control to parents

We need to make sure these kids get taken care of. I bet we could siphon some money off the bloated military budget to fix this and much of what ails our neediest citizens. Money for bombs but not hungry children, man that really irks me.

Also, maybe we could make birth control readily available so people stop bringing children they can't afford into the world. That's why I stopped at 2, I knew we didn't have the resources to support more.

Julie

[raccoon]

25. Single motherhood can cause this too.

I know times are hard, people get laid off, spouses desert families, etc.

I'll probably be clobbered for saying this, but most of the time, when a single woman chooses to have a child/children, she is very likely to end up poor.

[happy_liberal]

28. yes, stuff happens- that is why we have programs to look out for each other

Single mothers have the hardest job in the world, no one will argue with that!

I don't watch TV, but movies, the norm of our society seems to be pushing us further and further away from....love.

Relationships are all about sex, which creates babies and doesn't lend to families staying together.

Divorce, separate parenting is a huge financial burden, and with the divorce rate so high these days, combined with the economy/job situation, it is no wonder so many people are suffering, particularly families with children.

As this problem gets worse, people have even less power and the people that do have the power will screw us over even more.

Reminds me of Sum 41 lyrics for No Reason...WHEN WE ALL FALL DOWN IT WILL BE TOO LATE

How can we fake this anymore
We turn our backs away and choose to just ignore
Some say it's ignorance
It makes me feel some innocence
(Some say) It takes away a part of me
But I won't let go

So why can't you see it�s not the way
When we all fall down it will be too late
Why is there no reason we can't change (no reason)
When we all fall down, who will take the blame
What will it take

[happy_liberal]

29. kick

:kick: