I applaud the letter (EW 3/17) calling attention to struggling families lacking income for basic needs.
The Child Tax Credit lifted more than 30 percent of U.S. kids from poverty in 2021. But Congress allowed the 2021 CTC extra provisions to expire in December, so now in January 2022, 3.7 million children fell into poverty — a 41 percent increase.
In 2020, more than 50 of the largest U.S. companies paid no federal taxes at all (Forbes.com, April 2, 2021). In the 1950s, corporations accounted for about 40 percent of federal income. Today it’s just about 7 percent.
We can afford to give our kids the basic resources to thrive. We must change the tax code to make the rich and large corporations pay their fair share. Thank god much-needed tax reform looms large on President Joe Biden’s agenda.
Note: If you qualified for Child Tax Credit monthly payments last year, go to ChildTaxCredit.gov to learn how to claim the rest of your credit.
Donna Schindler Munro
Bremerton, Washington
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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