Archive
The Great Wealth Robbery
Two important events took place this week. One was President Obama's call for a higher minimum wage, which got a lot of attention. The other was a new report which showed just how much of our nation’s wealth continues to be hijacked by the wealthiest among us....
Why We Need an Investment Budget
Part of the President’s State of the Union message and of his second term agenda apparently will focus on public investments in education, infrastructure, and basic R&D.
That’s good news. But how do we fund these investments when discretionary spending is being cut to the bone in order to reduce the budget deficit?
Answer: By treating public investments differently from current spending.
The Sequester Does The Most Harm To The Most Vulnerable
“Cut, Cut, Cut” has been the chorus sung by the House GOP for far too long. Republicans hide under the guise of good intent, while knowing full well what the beat of their rhythm means for the American people. The Office of Management and Budget released a report on...
The Three Faces of the GOP
Watching the various Republican responses — official and otherwise — to President Obama's state of the Union address was a bit like watching a right-wing remake of The Three Faces of Eve, the 1957 classic about a woman who suffered from "multiple personality disorder" that won Joanne Woodward an Academy Award. In fact, Woodward was the first actress to take home the Best Actress Oscar for portraying three different personalities.
In an attempt to win big political prizes in 2014 and 2016, the GOP is attempting to portray itself as three different parties, but nowhere near as dissociated as the three personalities of Woodward's Eve. But behind what looks like an identity crisis is the same old party..
By my count, there were at least three Republican responses — two official, one unofficial — to the State of the Union address, representing three different faces of the same old GOP: the "Re-Branded" Republican party, the tea party, and the "alienated white men."
Progressive Breakfast
MORNING MESSAGE: State of the Progressive Union 2013 OurFuture.org's Richard Eskow: "It was as good a speech as we could possibly expect, once we accept the limits of 'centrist' liberalism. But we shouldn’t accept those limits. The country deserves visions that are...
Progressive Breakfast
MORNING MESSAGE: State of the Progressive Union 2013 OurFuture.org's Richard Eskow: "It was as good a speech as we could possibly expect, once we accept the limits of 'centrist' liberalism. But we shouldn’t accept those limits. The country deserves visions that are...
The State of the Progressive Union 2013
A State of the Union address is always important. It's the president's opportunity to tell the nation what he or she plans to do in the coming year. But what the history books say about this year's speech may also depend what we do in the weeks and months to come. In...
DO Companies Lay People Off Because Of Taxes Or A Minimum Wage Rise?
Florida Senator Marco Rubio gave a "Republican Response" to the President's State of the Union address. He said that taxes cause employers to reduce hours or lay people off. Others say that raising the minimum wage will mean layoffs. Let's take a closer look at that....
On 2/13, Fight For Workers Who Make Only $2.13 An Hour
2.13. For most people the significance of February 13 is that it’s the day before Valentine’s Day, the day you say, “Uh oh, I forgot to get a gift for Valentine’s Day tomorrow.” But for millions of workers, 2.13 has a different significance: $2.13 is the federally...
Obama Keeps The Climate-Jobs Connection
As I discussed yesterday, David Leonhardt of the New York Times counseled President Obama to drop using green jobs as a selling point for address climate change. Thankfully, last night Obama did not listen. Obama made clear that tackling the climate crisis can be...
