by Richard Long | Dec 5, 2013 | The Sequester
Congress could, if it chose to, vote today to repeal the mindless across-the-board budget cuts known as the sequester and at the same time close loopholes corporations use to escape paying taxes, ensuring that we have the resources to put the American economy back on...
by Emily Foster | Dec 5, 2013 | Minimum Wage
One week after protests from low-wage workers at 1,500 Walmart stores nationwide, federal contract workers and fast food workers from over 100 U.S. cities walked off their jobs on Thursday to call for the implementation of a living wage. In Washington, D.C., workers...
by Digby | Dec 5, 2013 | Economy, Progressive Vision
I'm sure there is much weeping and wailing and rending of garments in the corridors of Third Way and Fix the Debt today: President Obama gave a nice speech today about income inequality --- and he didn't mention cutting "entitlements" even once. And he didn't express...
by Terrance Heath | Dec 5, 2013 | Conservatism, This Is The GOP
If there’s a “war on Christmas” going on, it’s being waged by congressional Republicans who are willing to let emergency unemployment benefits expire; just like they let emergency food stamp spending expire. Last month, just in time for Thanksgiving, congressional...
by Joshua Holland | Dec 5, 2013 | Conservatism, Economy, Unemployment Benefits
Study: Unemployment Benefits Don’t Discourage People from Finding Work (via Moyers & Company) A new study shows that even generous unemployment benefits have zero impact on people’s drive to go out and find a job. The multinational study, conducted by Jan...
by Bill Scher | Dec 5, 2013 | Conservatism
Back in March, the Republican National Committee released an "autopsy" of its 2012 losses, which included 11 recommendations for how the party should change its image. As we end the year, let's check in and see how that's going. Below are the 11 recommendations,...
by Bill Scher | Dec 5, 2013 | Uncategorized
Inequality In Spotlight W. Post's E. J. Dionne praises president for focus on inequality: "The debate over the Affordable Care Act can stay small, focusing on Web site failures and other short-term difficulties facing the law. Or it can get bigger, with wider...
by Robert Borosage | Dec 5, 2013 | Economy, Progressive Vision
President Obama on Wednesday put before Americans the “defining challenge of our times: turning around a “dangerous and growing inequality” and “making sure our economy works for every working American.” This was a bold step for a president presiding over a recovery...
by Emily Foster | Dec 4, 2013 | Economy
This year’s 113th Congress has been infamous for being unproductive, due to lackluster performance and extreme partisanship. While the House plans to adjourn for the year on December 13, members are trying to squeeze in their last bill proposals. One step towards...
by Jeff Bryant | Dec 4, 2013 | Education
This week's media extravaganza over the latest results from the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, were the latest distraction from what really matters for the nation's education policy. As Valerie Strauss put it on her blog at The Washington Post,...
by Thom Hartmann | Dec 4, 2013 | Conservatism, Democracy, Economy, Health, Retirement Security
The American Legislative Exchange Council has one heck of an agenda for 2014, and it all centers around one idea – profit over people. ALEC will meet this week in Washington, DC, for its “States and Nation Policy Summit.” The event is a closed-door conference...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 4, 2013 | Uncategorized
This Thursday, December 5, workers at fast-food restaurants around the country will be striking for higher pay and better working conditions. Their primary demand is an increase in their base hourly wages to $15 an hour. Here are 12 things you should know about...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 4, 2013 | Uncategorized
The U.S. Census Bureau's Bureau of Economic Analysis released trade deficit figures this morning. We don't even bother to describe this as releasing trade figures anymore. In October, the overall U.S. international trade deficit in goods and services dropped a bit to...
by Bill Scher | Dec 4, 2013 | Uncategorized
Obama Pushes Higher Wages, GOP Pushes Jobless Aid Cuts Obama to tackle inequality, push minimum wage hike in speech today. AP: "The president plans to deliver an address Wednesday to argue his case that income inequality and wage stagnation are threatening upward...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 3, 2013 | Economy, Progressive Vision
An almost palpable air of desperation clings to the anti-“populist,” anti-Elizabeth Warren editorial by Jonathan Cowan and Jim Kessler of the corporate-funded Third Way organization. If they're worried, they're right to worry. The world is changing. “Economic Populism...
by Bill Scher | Dec 3, 2013 | Uncategorized
While the user performance of HealthCare.gov is greatly improved as of this week, critics are still focused on the back-end issue known as the "834 problem." 834s are the forms that the federal government gives to private insurers when someone signs up for insurance...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Dec 3, 2013 | Uncategorized
There is more evidence today that in the real world, lower corporate taxes don't lead to higher job creation. In fact, most of the "job creators" in today's economy are paying some of the highest corporate taxes, while the companies that are paying little or nothing...
by Joshua Holland | Dec 3, 2013 | Conservatism, Economy, Education
How ‘Limited Government’ Is Burying a Generation in Debt (via Moyers & Company) The cost of tuition in this country has increased at an almost unbelievable pace over the past generation – twice as fast than as the costs of health care. According to an...
by Thom Hartmann | Dec 3, 2013 | Uncategorized
The banksters could be forced to pay tens of billions of dollars more in settlements for crashing our economy. But, these fees are just a small fraction of the price that American taxpayers paid for the economic collapse. So far, the too-big-to-fail banks have...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 3, 2013 | Uncategorized
Washington is embroiled in a round of budget-cutting fervor. There is a "budget conference" going on. There are rumors that "deals" are being made behind closed doors. How much to cut? Who to hurt? Who to lay off or furlough next? Here's the thing. The American...
by Bill Scher | Dec 3, 2013 | Uncategorized
On Dec. 4, come to the 40th Anniversary Midwest Academy Awards. Click here to buy tickets – to honor Rep. John Lewis, Eliseo Medina, Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, and Jenn Brown. Obama Readies Obamacare Enrollment Drive WH plans Obamacare push. Politico: "[Today]...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 3, 2013 | Minimum Wage
Wednesday President Obama will give a speech on his plan to grow the economy and the middle class. Thursday fast-food workers will strike in 100 cities and stage protests in 100 others to demand $15 an hour and the right to form a union without interference from...
by Thom Hartmann | Dec 2, 2013 | Economy, Minimum Wage
On Black Friday, more than 1,500 protests took place at Walmart stores around our country. Organizers reported more than 100 arrests in civil disobedience actions. The events centered around ' low wages, unethical treatment of workers, and their history of trying to...
by Digby | Dec 2, 2013 | Budget Talks, Conservatism, Economy, Financial Reform
In the post below, David asks an interesting question: Trickle-down economics is a known and proven failure. The experience of record stock market highs, record corporate profits, low effective tax rates and record income inequality in the context of a stagnant...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 2, 2013 | Conservatism, Health
OK HealthCare.gov works now. The people in states that didn't set up their own websites can get insurance. The great panic of October/November 2013 is over. What will we be whipped into a lather over this week? What will the media sensationalize next? What about our...
by Bill Scher | Dec 2, 2013 | Uncategorized
Push From Left May Boost Wages, Impact 2016 Democrats feeling push from the left, reports W. Post: "Under strong pressure from liberals, the [congressional budget] panel has effectively abandoned discussion of a 'grand bargain' agreement partly because it probably...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 1, 2013 | Minimum Wage
Something is happening. It's beginning to look as if the fight for a livable minimum wage might – just might – alter our political future. Makes sense, when you think about it. The minimum wage struggle is occurring at the intersection of powerful forces. It's taking...
by Sam Pizzigati | Dec 1, 2013 | Uncategorized
In plain yet powerful language, Pope Francis is challenging the givens of our deeply unequal world — and helping inspire resistance to it. Sometimes you don’t have to say anything “new” to make news. Consider, for instance, the “apostolic exhortation” the...
by Richard Eskow | Nov 28, 2013 | Uncategorized
"A pretty high energy day" for employees. That's how a Walmart executive described Thanksgiving after the corporation announced that this year's "Black Friday" would begin on Thursday evening, leaving many of its workers (known as "associates") unable to spend the...
by Leo Gerard | Nov 28, 2013 | Economy, Minimum Wage, The Jobs Challenge
At the first Thanksgiving, there was no expression of the sentiment: “I built this feast by myself.” Native Americans sat side by side with pilgrims – religious leader by huntsman, chief by planter. They shared the bounty they’d all worked to create. This Thanksgiving...
by Terrance Heath | Nov 27, 2013 | Conservatism, Health
A new poll shows that, despite a flawed rollout, most Americans are willing to give health care reform time to succeed. That’s good news for Obamacare, because it’s already succeeding in states that have fully adopted it. And the success stories are starting to...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 27, 2013 | Economy, Populist Majority, This Is The GOP
This is that time of year when newspapers bother to write about how there are hungry people in America. But this year is special. As the recession drags on for the non-1%, cuts in Food Stamps have completely swamped the capacity of food banks and other non-government...
by Bill Scher | Nov 27, 2013 | Uncategorized
On MSNBC today I joined Keli Goff and Elizabeth Plank to discuss the upcoming Supreme Court case regarding whether corporations can skip parts of Obamacare on religious grounds, such as the mandate for insurance to cover contraception. As Harold Meyerson flagged today...
by Bill Scher | Nov 27, 2013 | Uncategorized
President Steps Up Defense Of Health Reform Obama increasingly confident during West Coast swing. Reuters: "Although he occasionally referred pejoratively to the 'darn' website, HealthCare.gov, he made a point of shifting his message to the positive benefits his law...
by Robert Borosage | Nov 27, 2013 | Uncategorized
President Obama traveled to Hollywood’s DreamWorks studio to address the economy yesterday. The speech itself was economical, recycling many of his favorite tropes. But it revealed the perils Democrats face if they let the president define their agenda and argument...
by Richard Eskow | Nov 26, 2013 | Uncategorized
Just when it seemed that there was nothing more to learn about the illegal and immoral culture which has permeated JP Morgan Chase, the nation’s largest bank, more facts emerge. Its recent Justice Department settlement, which has been oversold as a “$13 billion”...
by Jeff Faux | Nov 26, 2013 | Budget Talks, Economy, Financial Reform, Minimum Wage
The deeper you are in the inner sanctums of power, the slower you are to get disturbing news from the rest of the world. So, I suppose it should be no surprise that it has taken so long for a prominent member of the American policy elite to suggest openly to his...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 26, 2013 | Budget Talks, Economy, Progressive Vision, Retirement Security, The Jobs Challenge, This Is The GOP
Congress is again fighting over the budget with Republicans now demanding cuts in federal employee benefits. Is this really about the budget? Or is it about destroying government? Meanwhile hundreds of billions of taxes owed by corporations remain uncollected. The...
by Jeff Bryant | Nov 26, 2013 | Education
"Public education is under attack," comes the warning from Philadelphia in a riveting new video from community and youth organizers in that city. Their accusations are that education policies are "an attack on poor children" … policy makers "don't care about the...
by Bill Scher | Nov 26, 2013 | Uncategorized
[fve]http://youtu.be/P7qnniOalPA?t=18m5s[/fve] The news out of yesterday's address on immigration reform from President Obama is he got heckled. The merits of the heckler's case for an executive order to stop deportations is thin. And an attack Obama misses the...
