SWC’s Fast Five

Travel is back in the news for you EV drivers and intrepid flyers, there’s good news in cutting household debt and child poverty rates while, watch out, the robots are coming.

So, here’s this week’s Fast Five:

1 Seamless U.S. travel for electric car drivers is on the way

If you want to be among the 18 million EV drivers the Edison Electric Institute estimates will be on U.S. roads by 2030 but worry about the ready availability of charging stations along road trips, the Electric Highway Coalition is coming to the rescue with a network of fast-charging stations to enable long-distance electric travel.

2 Robots are eying your white-collar job

Some current economic projections predict that for the first time in human history, technology and automation have the potential to outpace new job creation. The recent acceleration of robotic process automation suggests government develop systemwide education and training alternatives that will help keep workers gainfully employed.

3 Virus crisis has one unexpected result – better household budgeting

While one in 10 consumers say they will never financially recover from the pandemic, others are paying down debt and saving more than they have in decades. Many are leveraging low interest rates to refinance and lower their monthly bills.

4 Relief bill provision projected to cut U.S. child poverty in half

The idea of a child benefit has gained support from both progressives and conservatives. A similar program launched in Britain more than 20 years ago cut its 25 percent child poverty rate in half within its first eight years and increased employment among single mothers.

5 Standardized digital health passports, discuss!

Airlines, travel and labor groups want proof of test and vaccination credentials – not mandated for travel but to allow travelers to avoid quarantine requirements. The CDC is not enthusiastic, saying the vast majority of the population has not been vaccinated so the priority is to keep those people safe, especially if people who are vaccinated can still transmit the virus.