The Afternoon News: Wednesday Nov. 9, 2011 | Sojourners

The Afternoon News: Wednesday Nov. 9, 2011

The Afternoon News
The Afternoon News

A twice-daily round up of top news related to Sojourners' commitments to social justice and the poor.

THINK PROGRESS: For Three Straight Years, There Have Been More Than Three Job Seekers For Every Available Job

The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that there were 4.2 job seekers for every available opening in September, down slightly from the 4.5 to 1 ratio in August. As the Economic Policy Institute noted, “September marks just over three years in a row that the job-seeker’s ratio has been at or above 3-to-1…And we’ve been substantially above 4-to-1 for the last two years and nine months.”

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ALTER NET: Extreme Poverty Is Now At Record Levels -- 19 Statistics About The Poor That Will Absolutely Astound You

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a higher percentage of Americans is living in extreme poverty than they have ever measured before.  In 2010, we were told that the economy was recovering, but the truth is that the number of the "very poor" soared to heights never seen previously.

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THE WASHINGTON POST: Poll Shows Most See Deepening Wealth Gap

More than six in 10 Americans see a widening gap between the wealthy and the less well-off in this country, and about as many want the federal government to try to shrink the divide, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

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THINK PROGRESS: Juliet Eilperin: Climate Change Could Become 2012 ‘Wedge Issue’

Washington Post environmental reporter Juliet Eilperin believes that global warming, an issue of nuanced dispute in the 2008 election between pro-cap-and-trade candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, could become a major “wedge issue” in 2012.

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ROLLING STONE: How The GOP Became The Party Of The Rich (Warning: Contains some coarse language)

The nation is still recovering from a crushing recession that sent unemployment hovering above nine percent for two straight years. The president, mindful of soaring deficits, is pushing bold action to shore up the nation's balance sheet. Cloaking himself in the language of class warfare, he calls on a hostile Congress to end wasteful tax breaks for the rich.

Learn more HERE

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Latino Voters: Obama Leads Going Into 2012, GOP Faces Backlash On Immigration

President Barack Obama still holds significant leads among likely Latino voters over Republican candidates for the 2012 election, partially because most Latinos don't know or don't like the GOP field, according to a Univision-Latino Decisions poll released Tuesday.

Learn more

HERE

 

Jack Palmer is a communications assistant for Sojourners.