The Bellingham Herald

By Bruce Lesley and Jon Gould

As the federal “fiscal cliff” looms, we’re hearing more about how various scenarios would affect politicians, defense contractors, high-income taxpayers, seniors and other constituencies. But an important group of Washingtonians with a lot on the line has been largely ignored: children.

The stakes are immense, because the recession’s impact on children is still being felt in families all across Washington. A recent analysis by the nonpartisan Urban Institute found that nearly 150,000 Washington children live with an unemployed parent. That’s more than a 90 percent increase since 2007. When you look at kids living with a long-term unemployed parent, the increase is more than 400 percent…

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