Shared Recovery: A 10Step Program to Rebuild the National Economy from the Ground Up October 15, 200

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Shared RecoveryA 10-Step Program to Rebuild
the National Economy from the Ground UpOctober
15, 2008
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Step 1

• Persuade people that the only prosperity worth
  having is shared prosperity.
• Lesson of the past economic cycle
• Trickle down, RIP
• 4.4 million more poor people in the last good
  year than in the recession year of 2001.
• Typical working age household income has shrunk
  by more than 2,000 from 2000 to 2007.

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Rising tide lifted the ocean liners swamped the
rowboats

• Capital gains grew more in the 2001-2007 period
  than in comparable expansions (10.3 through
  2007 8 percent in 1990s).
• BUT per capita earnings of full-time,
  year-round workers lost ground. Racial/ethnic
  progress stalled
• White, not Hispanic 31,051
• Black 18,428
• Hispanic 15,603

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Poor and Near Poor

• Poverty line for 3-person family 16,530 (200
  33,060)
• Poverty line for 4-person family 21,203 (200
  42,406)
• US PA
• Total below poverty 13 11.6
• Children below poverty 18 16.3
• Blacks below poverty 24.4 27.1
• Hispanics below poverty 28.3 31.9
• Total below 200 FPL 30.7 28.5
• Children below 200 FPL 38.4 35.4

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Unshared prosperity not typical

• In the 1990s and in previous expansion periods,
• Poverty declined
• Jobs and wages improved
• Getting us out of the current mess requires
  helping people with low incomes rebuilding from
  the ground up. (Ben Bernanke said so!)

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Step 2

• We must define shared prosperity with measurable
  goals.
• Like cutting poverty in half in 10 years
• (Half in Ten Campaign)

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Step 3

• Use every opportunity to show that hardships and
  blocked opportunities are widespread.
• Regrettably, not hard to show that now.
• BUT must make the case for solutions.

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Step 4

• Insist that help/opportunities for low-income
  people must be integral to every new government
  initiative
• Climate change?
• Mortgage protection?
• Health care for all?

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Step 5

• Seize opportunities for first steps, never
  forgetting to show how these steps should bring
  us closer to our end goals.
• Its worked!
• Child Tax Credit
• LIHEAP

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Step 6

• Be connected to the broader advocacy movement and
  help to shape it,
• if you want to ensure that your voices are heard
  in Congress.
• Week of Nov. 17!

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Step 7

• Use your strength
• Bring your connectedness to the people you serve
  to the efforts to rebuild the national economy.
• What have you learned from your communities about
  what works best to create and retain jobs?
• Give community leaders opportunities to
  communicate with public officials, press, the
  public.

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Step 8

• Develop your capacity to advocate
• Nurture relationships with public officials
• Talk to the press
• Help community leaders to communicate with the
  press and with officials
• Improve lines of communications among CAP agency
  directors and with other service providers and
  advocates

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Step 9

• Hold leaders accountable.
• After the election
• Continue to pay attention!
• Remember what they promised and what our
  communities need!

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Step 10

• Repeat steps 1 9.
• But smarter and bigger.

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Thanks!
From Poverty to Prosperity

From Poverty
to Prosperity