Archive
New Unemployment Data: Good, Just Not Good Enough
The April unemployment figures are out, and America added 290,000 new jobs. It’s good news, but still unemployment edged up to 9.9 percent. The problem has many layers. First, the American population continues to grow. It takes 127,000 new jobs every month just to...
Congress Backs Wall Street, Rejects Big Bank Break-Up
Late last night, the U.S. Senate rejected the single most important element of Wall Street reform by a vote of 33 to 61. The SAFE Banking Act would have forced the break-up of the nation's six largestbanks, and dramatically reduced the political clout of America's...
Progressive Breakfast - 5/7/2010
BREAKING: 290,000 new jobs in April. Unemployment at 9.9% BREAKING: New April jobs report from Labor Dept. "Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 290,000 in April, the unemployment rate edged up to 9.9 percent, and the labor force increased sharply ... the number of...
The Casino Is Open! Come One, Come All!
Who Was Slowest In Responding To BP Spill? The Right
The current drumbeat of commentary on the right that the Obama administration was too slow in responding to the BP oil spill disaster in the Gulf raises two obvious questions. One: Is it true? The answer is “no,” according to, among other things, a...
Breaking: Dodd Backs Fed Audit, Amendment Likely To Pass
Word is circulating through Capitol Hill right now that Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) has agreed to back a comprehensive audit of the Federal Reserve, paving the way for the almost certain passage of the measure. This is a major victory for serious Wall Street reform, and...
Executive Entitlement vs We The People Democracy
There have so been many examples lately of the wealthy and the executive class having a sense that they are superior and entitled to fleece and feed off of the rest of us. Here is one more. BP CEO Tony Hayward on who will be responsible for paying oil spill damages,...
Consumer Protection: Progressive Momentum and Forbidden Love
Harry Reid got it right when he said that the GOP is "making love to Wall Street" - and when politicians and bankers "make love" it's the public that gets screwed. Sen. Shelby's so-called "consumer protection amendment" failed, as expected.(!) But what happens next?...
Liveblogging The Paulson-Geithner Hearing
2:20 I agree in theory with just about everything that Tim Geithner said over the past two hours. The trouble is, his solutions-- a systemic risk regulator, giving regulators more powers -- won't be enough to fix the system. You need hard rules in place that force...
Progressive Breakfast: Pitchforks In The Senate
Each morning, Bill Scher and Terrance Heath serve up what progressives need to affect change on the kitchen-table issues families face: jobs, health care, green energy, financial reform, affordable education and retirement security. Populist Charge On Senate Floor...
