by Dave Johnson | Jan 2, 2013 | Economy
Congress and the media paid homage to the agenda of the billionaires and Wall Street, with the manufactured "fiscal cliff" PR campaign frenzy that just ended. So now can we get back to the country's priorities? Can we talk about jobs now? Jobs Fix Deficits Now that...
by Dave Johnson | Jan 2, 2013 | Blog
The filibuster used to be an important tool that gave the minority a voice in the Senate. But the Senate made a mistake and changed the rules, which enabled an obstructionist minority to block … everything. There have been more than 380 filibusters in just the...
by Bill Scher | Jan 2, 2013 | Uncategorized
MORNING MESSAGE: An Ugly Deal OurFuture.org's Robert Borosage: "The most ominous part of the deal is what was left out. The deal makes no provision for lifting the debt ceiling. It postpones the sequester (automatic cuts in domestic and military spending) for only two...
by Robert Borosage | Jan 1, 2013 | Economy, Minimum Wage, The Sequester
Early this morning, the Senate passed the fiscal cliff deal by 89-8, a margin virtually guaranteeing that it will survive in the House. The deal has some good parts. It lets the Bush tax cuts expire on the wealthy, raises the estate tax marginally and increases...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 31, 2012 | Blog, Reagan Revolution
Before 'W' got in and made changes in taxes and military spending we were paying off the debt. Bush said the deficits that resulted from his changes were "extremely positive news." (Yes, that is in quotes, click the link.) Before that Reagan also caused deficits on...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 29, 2012 | Blog
Our nation was gripped by so many fallacies and delusions in 2012 that the whole Mayan calendar end-of-the-world thing didn't even make the list. Even those apocalyptic prophecies were more plausible than the idea that cutting Social Security will help the deficit,...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 29, 2012 | Blog
There is a chance to reform the filibuster in January, with a proposal to "make them talk." Will the Charlie Browns in the Senate let Lucy pull away the football yet again? As George 'W' Bush said, "fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 25, 2012 | Blog
Despite an epidemic of gun deaths, the river of gun cash never stops flowing. If you follow that river upstream you'll see that its source lies very close to Wall Street. And the river's mouth speaks with the voice of politicians, whose campaign fundraising is...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 25, 2012 | Blog, Chained CPI
This is a moment of moral clarity. Right now there are only two sides in the Social Security debate: the side that says it's acceptable to cut benefits -- in a way that raises taxes for all income except the highest -- and the side that says it isn't. It's time to ask...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 24, 2012 | Blog
Outrage is growing over Republican sabotage of … well, everything. E. J. Dionne Jr. in the Washington Post, writing in It’s our system on the cliff, (emphasis added, for emphasis) The United States faces a crisis in our political system because the Republican...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 23, 2012 | Blog, Chained CPI
Liberals and progressives who want to cut Social Security? Democrats who want to cut one of their party's signature achievements? "It has been done in your name, or at least in that of your family," said Scrooge. As Christmas Eve approaches, supporters of the "chained...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 21, 2012 | Blog
The world didn't end! The Mayan calendar starts a new cycle and we can too. Take it easy; have a Happy Holiday. It's the holiday season and the end of a year. It is time to take a break, enjoy family and reflect on the year that just was and imagine that new year that...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 21, 2012 | Blog
Just how radical and extreme are the Republicans today? Republicans didn't oppose Boehner's radical "Plan B" because it would devastate American families and small businesses and destroy government -- that was OK, in fact that wasn't even enough destruction for them....
by Richard Eskow | Dec 21, 2012 | Blog, Chained CPI
The so-called 'fiscal cliff' was never real. Congress and the President invented it during last year's negotiations, apparently to persuade voters that unpopular budget measures were needed to avoid a crisis. With the collapse of John Boehner's 'Plan B,' that gambit...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Dec 21, 2012 | Uncategorized
MORNING MESSAGE: Fix the Debt’s New Ploy Is Too Obscene For Laughter OurFuture.org's Richard Eskow: "Fix the Debt, a front group for corporations, billionaires, and defense contractors, wants people to call their representatives and demand that they avoid the “fiscal...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 20, 2012 | Blog, Chained CPI
Fix the Debt, a front group for corporations, billionaires, and defense contractors, wants people to call their Representatives and demand that they avoid the "fiscal cliff." The group's latest email is so badly written that it cries out for laughter, but its...
by Stan Collender | Dec 20, 2012 | Blog, The Sequester
Don’t expect Congress to tackle a tax overhaul anytime soon. For the third year in a row I am not writing a year-in-review column because, honestly, they’re boring and unnecessary. If you’ve been interested enough in the federal budget to read my column in 2012, you...
by Mike Lux | Dec 20, 2012 | Blog
When I was a young organizer for Iowa Citizen Action Network, we were doing a lot of work on utility rate hikes. I met an elderly woman, maybe late 70s, who was living on her Social Security check. As utility prices went through the roof, her cost of living increase...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 20, 2012 | Blog
US manufacturing wages are competitive, but wages are not the only reason companies might not be coming back. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report this week, International Comparisons of Hourly Compensation Costs in Manufacturing, 2011, that debunks the...
by Terrance Heath | Dec 20, 2012 | Blog, Chained CPI
Yesterday, I posted that progressive leaders in Congress are saying "No Deal" to "fiscal cliff' deals that cut Social Security benefits while cutting the wealthy yet another break on taxes. Today, that list is growing, as more progressive join what's beginning to look...
by Terrance Heath | Dec 20, 2012 | Uncategorized
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: What About The...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 19, 2012 | Blog, The Sequester
The President's latest budget offer slashes a 95 year old retiree's Social Security benefits by more than nine percent -- and trims the defense budget by less than one percent. Nancy Pelosi insists that these benefit reductions aren't "cuts," which is consistent with...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Dec 19, 2012 | Blog, Economy, Minimum Wage
One of the most maddening features of the current fiscal cliff/fiscal swindle debate is that the chattering class rarely acknowledges the people who have already fallen off the cliff: 5 million Americans who have been unemployed for more than 27 weeks. The roughly 7...
by Terrance Heath | Dec 19, 2012 | Blog, Chained CPI
Progressives in Congress aren't falling for the trick that Washington is using to cut Social Security in the "fiscal cliff" negotiations. Instead they are raising their voices against the insanity of Democrats committing political suicide by: destroying their...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 19, 2012 | Blog
Does a city "save money" by outsourcing good-paying jobs to a company that pays crap wages? The people who had good-paying jobs are out of work, replaced by people in low-wage jobs, and the rest of us feel the downward pressure on our wages and benefits as the race to...
by Hugh Upton | Dec 19, 2012 | Blog, Unemployment Benefits
President Obama criticized House Speaker John Boehner's "Plan B" proposal today because it lacks an extension for unemployment insurance for the long-term jobless. If the president fails to win on this issue, two million people will face tough choices. The mortgage...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 19, 2012 | Blog
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley took to the white board to explain the talking filibuster and why we need to reform the Senate. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snprp-36dMk[/youtube] Merkley White Board: Its time to Reform the Senate with a Talking Filibuster Fix...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Dec 19, 2012 | Uncategorized
MORNING MESSAGE: 8 Deficit Reducers That Are More Ethical – And More Effective – Than the “Chained CPI” OurFuture.org's Richard Eskow: "The “chained CPI” is being offered as part of a “deficit reduction” deal, even though Social Security is forbidden from contributing...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 18, 2012 | Blog, Chained CPI, The Sequester
News reports say the President's proposed deal includes the "chained CPI," which would impose drastic Social Security cuts and tax hikes for everybody but the wealthy. And House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says that "Democrats will stick with the President." They...
by Terrance Heath | Dec 18, 2012 | Blog
For decades, the conservative agenda rested upon a three-legged stool of "culture war" issues: "God, guns, and gays." I've covered in previous posts how the outcome of the 2012 election pretty much knocked out two legs of that ideological three legged stool. GOP...
by Digby | Dec 18, 2012 | Blog, Chained CPI
Greg Sargent is reporting tha the White House says they will make sure that the Chained CPI sell-out won't hurt the most vulnerable seniors. I don't know if they are basing this on the Simpson-Bowles formula, but if they are, it's bullshit: As part of...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 18, 2012 | Blog
We JUST had an election where the public (not to mention Every. Single. Poll.) overwhelmingly said no cuts to Social Security or Medicare, and raise taxes on income over $250K. That ought to mean something. But the "word" out of DC is that a deal is underway that cuts...
by Leo Gerard | Dec 18, 2012 | Blog
Apparently, uncertainty is a fate worse than death for a CEO. Billionaires bellyache about it constantly on TV, contending they must know, right now, whether next year’s tax rates will rise. Republicans bewail uncertainty, insisting CEOs must know, right now, whether...
by Bill Scher | Dec 18, 2012 | Uncategorized
MORNING MESSAGE: This Is Not America's Deal OurFuture.org's Richard Eskow: "Our leaders in Washington heard from the voters last month. They may need to hear from them again. According to news reports a budget deal is coalescing around some very unattractive and...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 18, 2012 | Blog, Chained CPI
Our leaders in Washington heard from the voters last month. They may need to hear from them again. According to news reports a budget deal is coalescing around some very unattractive and unwise ideas. The deal's centerpiece is reportedly the "chained CPI," a back-door...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Dec 17, 2012 | Blog
We have two words for House Speaker John Boehner's proposal to resolve fiscal showdown. No deal. Campaign for America's Future co-directors Robert Borosage and Roger Hickey both condemned Boehner's latest offer, which would reportedly allow tax rates to go up on upper...
by Digby | Dec 17, 2012 | Blog
If you are looking for thoughtful, informative dialog on the gun issue, take the time to look at Chris Hayes' show on both days this week-end, if you happened to miss them. Here's just one segment: Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 17, 2012 | Blog
Michigan Republicans are pushing low wages, claiming that "right-to-work" laws will "attract businesses." Does it work? Conservatives argue that strong unions cost jobs and anti-union "right-to-work" laws will bring jobs, because companies will move to places where...
by Bill Scher | Dec 17, 2012 | Uncategorized
MORNING MESSAGE: A Still, Small Voice OurFuture.org's Richard Eskow: "Last year in Africa I heard the story of a nine-year-old girl who took her own life rather than face the horrors in her village. Her voice has spoken to me ever since, informing the work of my days...
by Sam Pizzigati | Dec 17, 2012 | Blog, Economy, Minimum Wage
Some of today's most greedy are running giant multinationals. Some are just running their mouths. Their stories remind us just how much needs to change, economically and politically, in the year ahead. The essence of greed? Simple. Greed amounts to taking more than...
