In The News: Brookings Mountain West
During her career in academics and government service, Tamara Wittes has witnessed conflict and tension in the Middle East from a close vantage point.
The timing of Molly Reynolds’ visit to Las Vegas this week couldn’t have been better.
Imagine depositing your paycheck in the bank one morning, then going back in the afternoon to withdraw cash for necessities only to be told your funds weren’t available.
When Tucker Carlson agrees with Elizabeth Warren, it is worth taking notice. At a recent conservative conference, Mr. Carslon described Sen. Warren’s book, The Two Income Trap as “one of the best books” he had read on economic policy. “The single biggest change to our society,” he went on, “was the moment where it became impossible for the average person to support a family on one income.”
The middle class is synonymous with the American Dream: the house, the kids, the cars, vacations and a comfortable retirement.
The desire to secure and sustain a middle-class standard of living is virtually universal. But the opportunity to do so is not. In some cities, the middle class is thriving, and low-income children are rising up to join its ranks. In others, the middle class is sliding (even shrinking, on some measures), and upward mobility rates are low.
In the effort to strengthen the American middle class, it would seem obvious to ensure that the educational needs of middle-class students are being met. Yet as Richard Reeves points out, those students often are overshadowed in discussions about higher education.
President Donald Trump often cites the African-American unemployment rate as one of his key accomplishments. Confoundingly, he even made the boast in a tweet last week chiding soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe over her pledge not to accept an invitation to visit the White House.
Last October, my dad — the epitome of health — lost his life to a stroke. Everyone in our family was blindsided and devastated by this incident, which brought us face to face with the very thin line between normal family life and emotional and financial catastrophe.
Nevada, the nation’s fastest growing state, is becoming older and more diverse, according to annual U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Wednesday night. Between 2010 and 2018, the Silver State saw its retirement-age population grow by more than 149,000 people, the data shows. Close to 1 in 6 Nevada residents are now age 65 or older.
In the last 30 years, Nevada has evolved from a sparsely and homogenously populated rural outpost to one of the most urban and diverse states in the country. Nevada’s population is now majority-minority. The Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise Metropolitan statistical area with over 2.2 million residents is the 28th largest in the country and is home to nearly three out of four Nevadans. By 2060, the demographics of the rest of the United States are expected to look a lot like Las Vegas does today.
Let’s not give up on light rail, Las Vegas. The decision last month by the Regional Transportation Commission board to create a rapid bus transit route along Maryland Parkway instead of a light rail system was a disappointment, but it doesn’t have to be the last word on the matter.