Issues

Historically, about 17 percent of families move in a given year, but the recession knocked that number down as low as 11 percent, said Kimball Brace, president of Virginia-based Election Data Services. After two straight years of improvement, the number of moving families has partially recovered to about 15 percent. "The recession kept people at home. They couldn't sell their home, they couldn't find a job," Brace said. "We're starting to see bigger numbers. We're not all the way back." more »

Today the Supreme Court has affirmed what Americans already believe; that same-sex couples deserve the right to marry and marriage equality should be the law of the land. Since the introduction of the Equality Act in 1974, only 17 states plus the District of Columbia have passed laws protecting all LGBT residents in employment, housing, and public accommodations — meaning that a majority of the states and the federal government still lack the basic protections for LGBT Americans that are afforded other populations. more »

Eighty-five percent of those who bought insurance through healthcare.gov qualified for subsidies averaging $272 per month. The Department of Health and Human Services predicted 6.4 million people would have lost subsidies if the court ruled for the plaintiffs. The health law faces other legal cases, including objections from religious institutions to their role in providing birth control coverage and a suit by the House of Representatives contending that Obama's delay in requiring employers to offer coverage was illegal. more »

Roberta McReynolds writes: What every citizen of California does to conserve even a drop of water that can be allocated where it is needed most benefits everyone in the country. I'm certain you'll be pleased to know that many of us currently live in houses with buckets tucked under every faucet, and it's making a difference. It's given an entirely new meaning to having a 'bucket list', but I'll get back to that shortly. more »