PODCAST · news
The Poverty Trap
by Joan DeMartin
A Podcast for those who are fed up with the inequality baked into America's system and want to collectively make change. povertytrap.substack.com
Episodes
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September—Mid-October 2026 Reading Round Up:
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a Newsletter and Podcast About the Politics And Policy Choices That Create a Cycle of Economic, Racial and Environmental Inequality...and What We Can Do To Change It. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one paid subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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How Older Homeowners Are Losing Their Biggest Asset...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a Newsletter and Podcast About the Politics And Policy Choices That Create a Cycle of Economic, Racial and Environmental Inequality...and What We Can Do To Change It. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one paid subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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Corporate Welfare — Explained for Everyday Folks
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a Newsletter and Podcast About the Politics And Policy Choices That Create a Cycle of Economic, Racial and Environmental Inequality...and What We Can Do To Change It. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one paid subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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The Real Welfare Queens
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a Newsletter and Podcast About the Politics And Policy Choices That Create a Cycle of Economic, Racial and Environmental Inequality...and What We Can Do To Change It. I originally published this post a few months after I started The Poverty Trap, way back on September...
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July Reading Round-Up...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a Newsletter and Podcast About the Politics And Policy Choices That Create a Cycle of Economic, Racial and Environmental Inequality...and What We Can Do To Change It. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one paid subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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Rising Health Care Premiums And Deductibles Equal...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a Newsletter and Podcast About the Politics And Policy Choices That Create a Cycle of Economic, Racial and Environmental Inequality...and What We Can Do To Change It. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one paid subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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"The Happiness Of The People"
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one paid subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty Trap: “You do...
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Inequality In Stock Market Investment
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one paid subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty Trap: “You do...
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New Medicaid Work Requirements (Including The June 1, 2026 Interpretive Rule Overlay)
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one “founding member” subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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Reading Round-Up: May, 2026
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one “founding member” subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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Inflation Pain
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one “founding member” subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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Reading Round-Up, April 2026:
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one “founding member” subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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Inequality In The Age Of Trump
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one “founding member” subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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Pockets Of Poverty...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one “founding member” subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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Mortgage Foreclosures Are Increasing...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one “founding member” subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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The Power Of Song
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one “founding member” subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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Power Of The People
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one “founding member” subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And Today's Political Climate...
This post goes out to both free and paid subscribers, but if you are not already a paid subscriber and value this effort and our growing community, please consider upgrading to a paid membership. Thank you! And a hearty “thank you” to my latest free and paid subscribers—I appreciate your support!...
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U.S. Poverty In 2025...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one “founding member” subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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The Poverty Trap's Most Popular Posts: 2025
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one “founding member” subscriber recently had to say aboutThe Poverty…
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Social Safety Net Programs: Part II
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one “founding member” subscriber recently had to say about The Poverty…
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Social Safety Net Programs: Part I
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one, kind “founding member” subscriber recently had to say about The…
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The SNAP Benefit Saga Is Not Over...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Thinking about subscribing? Here’s what one, kind “founding member” subscriber recently had to say about The…
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Food Assistance Or No Food Assistance?
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Why You Might Want To Subscribe: Here’s what a new, “founding member” subscriber had to say about The Poverty…
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Chronic Illness Equals Chronic Debt...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Chronic Illness has increased dramatically in the United States over the last several decades, particularly Heart...
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The Legacy Of Two Icons, A Different Inequality, And Vaccine Hesitancy
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. “Let us move forward with faith in ourselves, in our intelligence, in our indomitable spirit. Let us develop…
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The Presidential Speech We All Need To Hear...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. “We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they...
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Labor Day Reading: Workers And The Environment
I first published this post on Labor Day 2024 and wanted to share in again with all of our new subscribers to The Poverty Trap in the last year. I’m also adding a brief update on what is happening tomorrow a we celebrate the American worker in 2025…and protest this Administration’s policies that...
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"And Justice For All"...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Join us! “I hope that people will take away that the institutions of government can function very well by…
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Now It's Middle-Income Americans Who Are Priced Out of The Home Ownership Market...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. “…they [middle-income earners, like teachers, nurses and other skilled workers] can afford only 21.2 percent of…
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Predatory Lenders Will Swoop In For The Kill...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. You might not immediately think of Mariner Finance, which does business in 27 states, as a predatory lender. After...
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I Was On Medicaid And Food Stamps...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. A few poor choices and mistakes, combined with a lot of “No’s” on job applications contributed to the loss of my...
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As The "Big Beautiful Bill" Makes Its Way Through The Senate...
*Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. “Public lands eligible for sale in the bill encompass over 250 million acres, including local recreation areas,...
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What We Are Losing And Why We Must Protest
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. The history of “we the people” protesting our government and its policies has been a strong and fairly successful...
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Graft Like Our Country Has Never Seen: Our Government Is Literally Taking From The Poor To Give To The Rich...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. Enjoy this clip of Senator Joni Ernst (R Iowa), trying to explain to her constituents how they would be…
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The Medicaid Debacle
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. “In moments of candor, they [the founding fathers] acknowledged that it was simple avarice or greed to continue to...
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Link Round-Up: The Short-Changed Working Class, Why Tariffs Are A Tax On The Poor, A Leg Up Through The Generations, And What We Must Do NOW To Fight!
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. I put together an end-of-month, link round-up highlighting a few of my favorite Substacker’s recent posts, and one...
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The Lies That Sow Distrust In Government And Threaten Our Democracy:
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. I don’t believe the title of this post is the least bit dramatic. It is, unfortunately, simply factual. I’ve...
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Thoughts On Poverty...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to individually and collectively make change. An 18 minute clip from The Daily Show: Jon Stewart interviewing Mathew Desmond, Pulitzer Prize winning author of...
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The Working Homeless...
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to collectively make change. __________________________________________ State Minimum Wages Play A Part: Millions of American Workers Are Not Earning Enough To...
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Goodbye to February...Video Clip And Link Roundup:
Welcome to The Poverty Trap, a newsletter and podcast for people who are fed up with the inequality baked into America’s system and want to collectively make change. ____________________________________________ “Republicans and Democrats don’t need to come together, they need to come to the...
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The Death Of The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
“Elon Musk and his fellow oligarchs believe government and laws are simply an impediment to their interests and what they are entitled to…” Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent, Vermont 2/10/25 Elon Musk @elonmusk CFPB RIP 4:41 PM · Feb 7, 2025 49.6MViews This is the communication a “special…
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This post goes out to both free and paid subscribers, but if you are not already a paid subscriber and value this effort and our growing community, please consider upgrading to a paid membership. Thank you! And a hearty “thank you” to my latest free and paid subscribers—I appreciate your support!...
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A Fair Shot...
This post goes out to both free and paid subscribers, but if you are not already a paid subscriber and value this effort and our growing community, please consider upgrading to a paid membership. Thank you! And a hearty “thank you” to my latest free and paid subscribers—I appreciate your support!...
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The Poverty Trap's Most Popular Posts: 2024
This post goes out to both free and paid subscribers, but if you are not already a paid subscriber and value this effort and our growing community, please consider upgrading to a paid membership for 2025. Thank you! Credit: Unsplash The Poverty Trap’s three most popular posts in 2024 have a…
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Is Scrooge Our New Role Model?
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and A Happy Holiday Season All Around! ‘The name Scrooge has become a synonym for a misanthrope. He treats his employee terribly, disdains those less fortunate than him and turns away those collecting donations for the poor. His sole concern is his…
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What Does An Informed Electorate Look Like?
This post goes out to both free and paid subscribers, but if you are not already a paid subscriber and value this effort and our growing community, please consider upgrading to a paid membership. Thank you! Area on The National Mall and Memorial Parks, District of Columbia, late October 2024.…
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The Incredible Shrinking Middle Class
This post goes out to both free and paid subscribers, but if you are not already a paid subscriber and value this effort and our growing community, please consider upgrading to a paid membership. Thank you! “For many Americans, the middle class is a matter of identity, aspiration and lifestyle as...
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The Strange Correlation Between Vaccination Rates and Political Parties...
This post goes out to both free and paid subscribers, but if you are not already a paid subscriber and value this effort and enjoy our growing community, please consider upgrading to a paid membership. Thanks in advance for your financial support of my work —it’s what allows me to keep…
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Ohio's Governor On Pet Eating...And The Demonizing of Immigrants
This post goes out to both free and paid subscribers, but if you are not already a paid subscriber and value this effort and our growing community, please consider upgrading to a paid membership. Thanks in advance for your financial support of my work —it’s what allows me to keep researching and...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A Podcast for those who are fed up with the inequality baked into America's system and want to collectively make change.
povertytrap.substack.com
HOSTED BY
Joan DeMartin
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Poverty Trap have?
The Poverty Trap currently has 142 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Poverty Trap about?
A Podcast for those who are fed up with the inequality baked into America's system and want to collectively make change. povertytrap.substack.com
How often does The Poverty Trap release new episodes?
The Poverty Trap publishes regularly with 142 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Poverty Trap?
You can listen to The Poverty Trap on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Poverty Trap?
The Poverty Trap is created and hosted by Joan DeMartin.
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