Archive
Why The Fight Against Unpaid Internships
Last Tuesday a federal court in New York ruled that unpaid interns with the films “Black Swan” and “500 Days of Summer” were employees under current law and that Fox Searchlight violated their right to a minimum wage. The unpaid internship is an aspect of the struggle...
The Economy Can't Recover If the Workers Don't
Can the economy recover if workers don't? Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke yesterday suggested as much, but investors were clearly skittish. Bernanke announced that while the Fed would continue its extraordinary measures to prop up the economy, the end might be in...
Now Is Time To Weigh In On Student Loans
The clock is ticking. Without action by Congress student loan rates double at the end of the month -- less than two weeks. If you don't want student loan rates to go up or even double, contact your member of Congress today. Please click this link and call your two...
Fact: Obama Will Cap Carbon
Before the end of the Barack Obama presidency, the EPA will place a cap on carbon pollution from all power plants. This is no longer a mystery. This is happening. And there's nothing Republicans in Congress can do about it. Though if you've been paying close...
The Looting of Detroit
Nearly 100 years ago two young Detroit girls visited a now-vanished island park that had a dance pavilion, amusement rides, and swimming, and wrote that they were “having fun” on a piece of paper. Then they put the paper in a bottle and tossed it into the St. Clair...
25,000 Sign Declaration Calling For A New Direction In Education Policy
As a populist wave of discontent with top-down education mandates continues to sweep the country, more than 25,000 concerned citizens have coalesced behind an Education Declaration to Rebuild America. If you haven't already, show your support for the Declaration here....
Reformed to Death: More On the Catastrophic Success of Welfare Reform
When Paul Ryan first introduced his first "Path to Prosperity" budget proposal, he framed it as an attempt to build upon the "successful" welfare reform of the late 1990s. At the time, I wrote that "welfare reform" was a "catastrophic success," because of its...
Krugman Discovers Intellectual Property: The 1 Percent Are the Takers
While meandering the streets of Paris, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman apparently awakened to the fact that the assignment of claims to wealth through patents, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property is a really big deal. This is good news for those...
Time Is Running Out To Stop Student Loan Rate Hikes
The clock is ticking on student loan interest rates. The rates for federally-backed student Stafford loans will double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1. And what has Congress done to help these already struggling students? Absolutely nothing. Student debt now totals $1 trillion, and Congress is still deadlocked when it comes to preventing an increase in the interest rate on student loans.
Here's A Sequester Cut You'll Feel In Your Gut
Republicans are forcing cuts in programs like Meals On Wheels. Big deal, another "budget cut" to reduce the dreaded "government spending." What does all of this this mean to actual, real people?
