"If the parents of schoolchildren in an elementary school in Austin worry most about the dangers their children face crossing busy streets near the s… - Robert D. Putnam

Intuitively, we know that neglect is not good for a child, and abundant evidence from neuroscience helps explain why: neglect during early childhood reduces the frequency of serve-and-return interactions and produces deficits in brain development that are hard to repair. A landmark randomized study of Romanian orphans who were institutionalized at an early age found that extreme neglect produced severe deficits in IQ, mental health, social adjustment, and even brain architecture.

investment in poor kids raises the rate of growth for everyone, at the same time leveling the playing field in favor of poor kids.

The bottom line in the political industry is this: Financial capital — the wherewithal for mass marketing — has steadily replaced social capital — that is, grassroots citizen networks — as the coin of the realm.