safety net

Farming is a very healthy business, spurring calls to end its large government safety net. But some lawmakers want to create a new program instead.

The worst economic downturn since the 1930s has left a record number of Americans in poverty and created strains on the government’s “safety net” not seen in decades.

The debt ceiling impasse could halt billions of dollars of funding for safety net programs, such as unemployment insurance and food stamps.

For 30 years, Wal-Mart has seemingly risen in inverse proportion to the decline of the American middle class.

As buying power shrunk for American workers, the things that Wal-Mart did to keep its always low prices always at least created what passed for a safety net for the working poor to survive in such a difficult environment.

But that balancing act can only last so long, and now it's collapsing.

The social safety net was built for short-term gaps between jobs, but work may be scarce for years, even as the American economy shows signs of a rebound.

For millions of out-of-work job seekers, unemployment insurance is providing an increasingly tenuous financial lifeline.

Americans express conflicting goals: many want more capitalism and less government, while others want a safety net for those who have lost their jobs and their health coverage.

Georgetown University historian Michael Kazin, author of The Populist Persuasion, notes that "Big corporations and big government can be seen as parts of the same problem."

Bigger is almost always better when it comes to a safety net for retirement. But when it comes to figuring out a place to retire, it's clear that bigger isn't always better, at least in terms of cost of living.

The graphic below compares the cost of living in 40 of the most populous metropolitan areas that were included in Kiplinger's List of..

Sixteen states are paying unemployment benefits with borrowed money, and that may double by year’s end.