Mar 24 Patchwork Nation: Healthcare Aside, Economy Still Dominant By Dante Chinni The headlines may be all about health care reform this week, but throughout the United States, the biggest story continues to be the sputtering economy. Poll after poll shows that the economy and unemployment are the top issue with… Continue reading
Mar 17 Patchwork Nation: A Tea Party Census The Tea Party movement was in the news again Tuesday as some 1,000 followers came to Washington to oppose Democrats' final effort to pass health care reform. Since last summer, when the group gained recognition for its… Continue reading
Mar 15 How Obama Tailors Health Care Reform Pitch for Different Audiences By Anna Shoup This week could make or break the Democratic health reform plan. In hopes of the effort succeeding, President Obama has stepped up his involvement considerably in recent weeks. In fact, Mr. Obama has put his entire presidency on the line… Continue reading
Mar 09 America’s Populist Turn: Who Will It Favor in 2010 Elections? By Dante Chinni In recent months, political populism has been defined by the Tea Party movement and framed by ire aimed at debt and government spending. But populism is a phrase that defies easy ideological pigeonholing, and another view of populism was on… Continue reading
Mar 02 Gun Rights Resonate Differently Across the U.S. By Dante Chinni If, as some suspect, the Supreme Court rules Americans Second Amendment rights take precedence over state and local laws, some will cheer and some will jeer, but the actual impact in different communities will be quite different. The spread of… Continue reading
Mar 01 Congress Turns to Jobs and Finds a Frustrated Public It is hard to find a place in America where times are not harder than they were last year. Across all of the 12 community types in Patchwork Nation, unemployment has spiked dramatically in the last year. Tensions are high. Continue reading
Feb 24 Patchwork Nation: Hardship Score Up Across All Community Types By Dante Chinni Consumer confidence is down. Gas prices and unemployment are both up. A look at the latest Patchwork Nation's Economic Hardship Index -- a measure of key indicators including foreclosures, unemployment and gasoline prices - show that it's still rough… Continue reading
Feb 18 After Losing Its Bookstore, Laredo Tries to Write the Next Chapter By Tom LeGro The last bookstore in Laredo, Texas, closed its doors for good one month ago this week. This bilingual and bicultural border town, long challenged by high illiteracy rates, is now adjusting to its new reality. Continue reading
Feb 17 Patchwork Nation: Looking at Winners, Losers in Federal Government Spending By Hari Sreenivasan Is your member of Congress bringing home the bacon? A breakdown by Patchwork Nation community types looked at where the government distributes money across U.S. counties. The money flow, project director Dante Chinni told The Rundown, has little to do… Continue reading
Feb 12 Patchwork Nation: County Obesity Rates Show Hard Work Ahead By Dante Chinni Every first lady takes on a mission during her time in the White House, and Michelle Obama this week said that hers would be childhood obesity with the program "Let's Move." The goal is to help improve the health… Continue reading