Archive
Occupy Wall Street Demanding Justice
It's been a while since empathy — the uniquely human capacity to recognize and share the feelings experienced by others, that science even suggests is hardwired in us — when President Obama included it in the qualities he sought in a Supreme Court appointee, and...
Seven Snappy Comebacks For Those Lame Anti-Occupy Talking Points
Lame, pat, pre-packaged putdowns of Occupy Wall Street: We all deal with 'em, whether we're arguing with a neighbor, appearing on Fox, or answering the jeers of relatives who've just received a chain email that "really puts the protesters in their place." Here are a...
Welcome 53 Percenters to the 99 Percent
It was inevitable, I suppose, that the success of Occupy Wall Street and "We Are the 99 Percent" would spawn reactions and imitators on the right. But the newly launched "We Are the 53 Percent" is a miracle of the kind of contradiction and contortionism that has...
Chicago to Wall Street Pay US Back
While the Occupy Wall Street movement is sweeping the country and peaceful arrests are mounting, Chicagoans took to the streets this week to hold the big banks accountable for crashing the economy and to demand city, state and federal policies that work for working...
They Need To Understand Who Their Constituency Is
I don't know how much more clearly they can say it: “Who do you think pays the taxes?” said one longtime money manager. “Financial services are one of the last things we do in this country and do it well. Let’s embrace it. If you want to keep having jobs outsourced,...
Progressive Breakfast - 10/17/2011
Each morning, Bill Scher and Terrance Heath serve up what progressives need to effect change on the kitchen-table issues families face: jobs, health care, green energy, financial reform, affordable education and retirement security. MORNING MESSAGE: GOP -- The...
The Nihilist Party Republicans Who Believe in Nothing
Some people's only exposure to nihilism comes from the German gang in The Big Lebowski who said things like "We are nihilists, we believe in nothing" and "Tell us where the girl is or we cut off your johnson, Lebowski." Or the nihilist humor of comedian Brother...
Do We Need Student Loans for Billionaires
Students of modest means must pay a stiff price to build their capacity to contribute to society — and pay interest if they can't afford that price. A one-time wealth tax could apply this same principle to America's rich. Polly Toynbee, a commentator for Britain’s...
New Republican Jobs Plan Really Is Different This Time Really
Senate Republicans have unveiled their new Jobs Through Growth Act. This time it's different. Read on and see why. Bill Scher, in this morning's News To Media: Republicans Have Not Answered Obama's Call For An Actual Jobs Plan, writes that the new jobs plan fails the...
What Are The Real Costs Of The Bush Tax Cuts Go To CostOfTaxCutsCom
$1,034,401,772,556. That’s the cost to the U.S. Treasury since 2001 from Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 5 percent of Americans—as of the moment I started writing this blog post. National Priorities Project and Citizens for Tax Justice today released...
