Dead Trees, Full Throttle, And Child Well-Being

There are at least 6 dead trees on my desk as I gear up for my first blog entry. I am nervous. I am excited. I don't know what to write about so...I will tell you why the dead trees -- I mean, the massive reports -- I have in front of me are distressing. All are from very well regarded groups. All are scholarly, loaded with graphs, bloviating at full throttle with phrases like "priorities for public policy should be based on the following core principles..." ALL talk about the problem of poverty in America, especially child poverty, along with some specific parts of the grim picture, including dropping out of high school.