Until you are placed in a position where you either witness, hear of, or experience this type of abuse, you are likely to be surprised that it exists. When we think of the elderly entering nursing homes, we assume they are cared for and safe, which is not always the case. The horrible abuse that takes place daily is disturbing and obviously have irreversible effects on those abused, and their loved ones.

According to the International Labor Organizations, the United States is one of only two countries that do not guarantee paid leave for new mothers. This is surprising as we live in a country with such great freedoms, yet so many new mothers are forced to choose between earning an income and caring for their new baby. While there are many corporations who are beginning to offer this benefit (as well as paternity leave), the organizations in our country, as a whole, are not making this a priority.

This article, published in 2015, details the issues Phoenix faces with the large amounts of homeless in our state. It highlights some outreach programs we have available that try their best to assist those they can, but shows that there are still so many suffering. This is an issue that touches me because for many months of the year, our weather is unbearable and these folks are forced to endure it if we don't have resources to help them transition to a better life.

We all know the negative effects dropping out of high school on individuals, but have you ever thought about how the act of dropping out effects the state you live in? Those who drop out are more likely to be faced with unemployment, poor health, criminal behavior, and need for public assistance. These are all things that end up costing the state billions. This is a chronic issue in our state in particular; Arizona has been ranked one of the highest for high school dropouts for many years.

Trafficking of children is a horrible issue that happens every single day in our country and around the world, right under our noses. This informative site shows us the reality of the issue and includes the shocking numbers of children effected. This is an issue worth reading about as anyone can be torn from their normal life into a life of horror in a matter of seconds.