WADE RATHKE is the founder of ACORN, Chief Organizer at ACORN International, and Author of "Nuts & Bolts", "Citizen Wealth", "Global Grassroots", and "The Battle for the 9th Ward".
Pearl River It was painful to read a recent expose about Alabama. The reporter had spent four months getting a handle on how fines and fees finance small town and county governments in the largely rural Black Belt and were sentencing residents into permanent penury. The State of Alabama is no different because of …
Amsterdam There are a lot of rules in my house. They come and go, but one has been permanent for over forty years: don’t ever miss a flight home! It’s a rule worth taking seriously, and I believe in it heartily. One old colleague, based in Dallas, once memorably turned to her staff on …