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Sticker price matters because sticker price inflation dictates how much the federal government spends. High sticker price is one of the main reasons the feds dole out almost $170 billion in grants, student loans, tax incentives, and work study money each year.

On Tuesday, Kevyn Orr, the emergency manager of Detroit, transferred control of the city’s water and sewage board to the elected mayor, Mike Duggan.

When Walmart pays its workers so little that they need food stamps to survive, they're also investing in a steady profit stream. Even though their prices are roughly the same or even more than their local competition, Walmart's excessive marketing of "low prices" makes them a first-choice supermarket for people living in poverty, including their employees.

Once upon a time, America invested in its young people so that they could enter the world without debt. College was meant to provide opportunity and strengthen the overall economy by creating a better- educated workforce. Looking at the numbers today, I can only think that our current system has failed this generation.

As we mentioned during the rollout of Paul Ryan's poverty plan last week, expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit is one of the few anti-poverty measures both parties can agree about (even if they can't come to an agreement on how to fund it).

The water war in Detroit has taken a new turn. The emergency manager (the virtual city dictator appointed by the governor) shut off thousands of customers of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department for non-payment. Some were undoubtedly taking advantage of the chaos caused by the State takeover and the bankruptcy but most are unable to pay because of the city's economic crisis. Massive protests and the intervention of an overtly outraged bankruptcy judge prompted 15-day moratorium on shutdowns.

On Tuesday morning, for the ninth time in less than a year and half, low-wage employees working for federal contractors are going on strike.

It's fair to say most people think of giving to charity as a good thing to do. If we have extra resources, it feels right to help people who are less fortunate.

What if the poor need more than disposable income to escape poverty? What if they need a life coach?