Tag: poverty

Prison Labor is Slavery by Another Name

by Friends of TFC • October 13, 2016

Across the country the largest prison strike is taking place, vowing to “finally end slavery in 2016.”

Right now there’s a national movement mobilizing to raise the federal minimum wage to a living wage of $15 an hour. But imagine if instead of earning even that much, you could only earn a few cents an hour.

If that sounds like something from the developing world, think again. The reality is our prisons are perpetuating slave labor.

Every day, incarcerated people work long hours for barely any money. Meanwhile, prisons charge inmates for everything from telephone calls, to extra food and convenience items, to occupying a bed.

Children Continue to Die from Malnutrition in Venezuela

by Friends of TFC • September 29, 2016

he serious social, political and economic crisis in Venezuela has resulted in an increase of malnutrition cases in Venezuela, most of which involve children under 10 years old.

Various organizations have denounced this situation on several occasions on national and international stages.

The most recent is the case of Junior Joneido Gonzalez Rodriguez, 1 year old, who was dying in the state of Zulia in the neighborhood of Mariu Urdaneta. The website The Venezuelan News reported that doctors had diagnosed him with severe malnutrition, which lasted four months. His last days were spent with his mother Julia Rodriguez at the ranch where they lived, “as he wept from fever and had trouble breathing.”

Study: Over 15 Percent of Venezuelans Eat from the Trash

by Friends of TFC • September 17, 2016

A new study adds to the mounting evidence that Venezuela just doesn’t have enough food to go around.

At least 15 percent of Venezuelans eat out of the trash, according to a study conducted by More Consulting between August 8 and 12.

The study revealed that Venezuelans manage to scrap enough together in various ways. Fifty-two percent have to resort to re-sellers, while more than 36 percent have to exchange food with relatives and friends. More than 45 percent get food at private supermarkets.

The Hidden Homeless Population

by Friends of TFC • September 3, 2016

A growing number of homeless students lack the academic and community support they need to get off the streets.

Most children in the United States spend their school days dreaming of their next birthday party or worrying whether they’re popular enough. Not America’s homeless youth.

Students like Jamie Talley, who first became homeless at age 2, are thinking about how the weather will affect their sleep and how to silence their growling stomachs during a test.

“I was pushed out of the world and left to survive on my own,” Talley said in a scholarship essay quoted by the Washington Post. “I had given up on the possibilities for me to become somebody.”

A day in the life of a member of the elite Global 1%

by Justin King • July 3, 2016

Would you recognize this man if you passed him on the street? Maybe, but probably not. He’s made international TV news, but you won’t probably won’t find him on American news stations unless it’s in the background of a report on the activities of other people of his status. For the last three years running, the media has covered a meeting of his ilk in DC. Almost none of the participants were named in the reports.

He wakes up and checks his cell phone before he rolls out of bed. He pays particular attention to events in the Middle East and how they impact the political situation in the US. He readily admits making his living off what Americans don’t know. He puts his shoes on. For 1.3 billion of the world’s population, it would take six months of earnings to purchase them. He climbs into an SUV and drives to get breakfast. The custom SUV costs more than the net worth of 85% of the world’s population. His breakfast costs 4 times the daily wage of about half of the world. His dogs are waiting by the door when he returns home. The dogs have a better diet than about 800 million humans. Of course, the dogs are pure bred. The pair are worth more than 39% of the population makes in a year. Today, he’s having a hard time getting his day started. He was up all of last night talking to a team of other elites scattered around the world. He admits to using that team to influence the news you read.