This is the year of big problems and potentially big solutions (we hope!).

First, the economy. Although the Fed says we're starting to rebound, the recession continues to strain families and states. In August, the percentage of the population with a job fell to its lowest level since 1984, according to the Center on Budget & Policy Priorities. Local food banks across the country say they're forced to turn away clients for lack of supplies.

And then there's health care. Amid the increasingly heated debates about how to move forward, there is now considerable agreement that our patchwork system for paying for health care is unfair and too expensive. The costs of maintaining insurance coverage are increasing far faster than wages, pricing many families and small businesses out of the insurance market.

Will the fact that more people are experiencing or fearing hard times make it possible to talk about -- and address -- poverty in this country? Some advocates think it just might. (See the Recession section, below.)

Perhaps the most promising news of the week is that the House of Representatives passed SAFRA (Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act), a comprehensive student loan reform which promises to make college more affordable and allow low-income students to graduate with less debt. The bill eliminates federal subsidies to banks for administering federal loans, however, and that means it will face opposition in the Senate.