by Richard Eskow | Dec 16, 2012 | Blog
From a tragic weekend, a return to the daily grind of politics. Our hearts may not be in it, but the challenge is undying and the struggle is one: to protect each other and preserve our humanity in the face of relentless forces. Still, the tragedy haunts. A friend of...
by Robert Borosage | Dec 14, 2012 | Blog, Financial Reform, Too Big To Jail
Senator Jeff Merkley, one of the handful of independent stalwarts on bank reform, today blasted the Attorney General for the Justice Department's apparent policy of giving big bankers a "get out of jail free" card. As he notes British bank HSBC admitted to serial...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 14, 2012 | Blog, Chained CPI
The latest proposal to cut Social Security coming from our out-of-touch DC elites literally says that because old people cut back to cat food when people food is expensive, then we shouldn't let Social Security rise enough to keep covering people food. It literally...
by Bill Scher | Dec 14, 2012 | Blog
Yesterday I noted that the main Senate Republican arguments against filibuster reform pretend that Democrats want to do away with minority filibusters, when in fact the proposals on the table simply ensure that filibusters be conducted in public view. Today, the...
by Stan Collender | Dec 14, 2012 | Blog
With 17 days as the crow flies before it happens, it's time for me to do something I've been resisting for a week or so: formally increase my odds that we'll go over rather than avoid the fiscal cliff. Back in September I said it was better than 50-50 that no deal...
by Robert Borosage | Dec 14, 2012 | Blog
Big Banks are famously too big to fail, too big to manage, and too big to prosecute. Now a recent report by the OCC details that they fail to meet even minimal standards of sound management. Even after blowing up the economy, getting a multi-trillion dollar...
by Robert Borosage | Dec 14, 2012 | Blog, Economy
Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan -- Republicans continue their assault on unions and worker solidarity – and America’s middle class gets mugged. Corporate profits are at the highest % of GDP on record; worker wages are at the lowest % ever. And now the...
by Bill Scher | Dec 14, 2012 | Uncategorized
MORNING MESSAGE: How "Right to Work" Laws Kill Jobs OurFuture.org's Richard Eskow: "'Right to work' is a misnomer for laws which let employees enjoy the benefits of union membership – at least for a little while, until they’re stripped away – without joining or...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 14, 2012 | Blog
Today (Friday) workers and their unions in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, South Africa, United Kingdom, Zambia and the United States are joining together to demand change at Walmart through the UNI Walmart Global Union Alliance. Josh Eidelson explains at The Nation...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 13, 2012 | Blog, Economy
Michigan's recent battle makes this a good time to explain the union movement's important role in our economy's overall health. We're about to explain why today's war on unions is bad for all of us, no matter what we do for a living, and we'll do it in four steps. But...
by Derek Pugh | Dec 13, 2012 | Blog
Washington is agog with fiscal cliff hysteria. With everyone focused on how to reduce deficits, isn’t it time for a little common sense? Most Americans think their tax dollars are wasted in Washington. So why not start with a focus on reducing waste? That would mean...
by Digby | Dec 13, 2012 | Blog
One of the more positive consequences of this ridiculous fiscal cliff fight seems to be a growing awareness that the beltway is out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans. For those who've read Chris Hayes' brilliant book Twilight of the Elites, this is...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 13, 2012 | Blog
Our trade deficit with China just hit a new record: $42.2 billion in October, up from $40.3 billion in September. The goods deficit with China rose to $29.5 billion in October, up from $29.1 billion in September. This is the largest single monthly goods deficit with...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 13, 2012 | Blog, Too Big To Jail
Last night Hurricane Sandy's victims got a lot of much-needed help, and everybody got a great concert. I mean, come on, people: McCartney sounds as great singing Helter-Skelter today as he did in 1968 - and he's seventy years old. (That's not an argument for raising...
by Bill Scher | Dec 13, 2012 | Blog
In today's Wall Street Journal, Republican Sen. John Barrasso has an irate oped intended to rally the public against Democratic proposals to end filibuster abuse. But in his tirade he neglects to mention one important fact: the Democratic proposals still allow...
by Bill Scher | Dec 13, 2012 | Uncategorized
MORNING MESSAGE: The Terrible Cost of Not Fixing the Filibuster Sooner OurFuture.org's Dave Johnson: "Under Lyndon Johnson there was one filibuster, and the public knew about it because a Senator had to talk all night. In the last few years there have just a few been...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 12, 2012 | Blog, Chained CPI
The “chained CPI” is an attempt to camouflage deep cuts to Social Security and other benefits, along with tax hikes on middle class wages (but not for high incomes), in a forest of numbers and terminology. Know who's expert at camouflage? Veterans. And a whole lot of...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 12, 2012 | Blog
Senate Democrats were all about getting things done, and that kept them from getting anything done. They didn't take on the filibuster head-on, so now obstruction is the expected norm. There have been more than 380 filibusters and the public (and apparently the media)...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 12, 2012 | Blog
This interview was based on a piece we did entitled "Four Republican Medicare Secrets … and a $600 Billion Funeral." Video is below: [youtube]http://youtu.be/XkRNkkBM7U8[/youtube]
by Terrance Heath | Dec 12, 2012 | Blog
As Washington approaches a "fiscal cliff" of its own making, our elected officials appear to be forgetting some important things. President Obama seems to have forgotten the mandate he won in November, not a mandate just to increase taxes on the wealthy (something...
by Digby | Dec 12, 2012 | Blog
Politico shares its insights on what the right "deal" should look like: …tax reform that goes way beyond individuals and rates; much deeper Social Security and Medicare changes than currently envisioned; quick movement on trade agreements, including a proposed one...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Dec 12, 2012 | Blog, Chained CPI
Progressive Caucus member Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Md., is working to get her colleagues to sign a letter pledging to oppose a "fiscal cliff" deal that would include a particularly pernicious cut in Social Security benefits. It is pernicious because if it gets included...
by Bill Scher | Dec 12, 2012 | Uncategorized
MORNING MESSAGE: Why 21,000 of Us Asked LA’s Mayor to Resign From Fix the Debt OurFuture.org's Richard Eskow: "A reasonable person might ask why any group which claims to be concerned about deficit spending would try to lower tax rates for the most privileged among...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 11, 2012 | Blog
Today 21,000 of us went to Los Angeles City Hall to deliver a petition to the Mayor's office. We didn't all go in person, but we were all there - on a petition. But the Mayor wasn't there, and nobody from his staff was available to meet with us either. That's too...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Dec 11, 2012 | Blog
More than 30 of the wealthiest Americans have signed a letter to Congress and the Obama administration arguing that the estate tax should be raised, not lowered, especially at a time when much of the political establishment is calling for the already economically...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 11, 2012 | Blog
Pay attention to what is happening in Michigan, because it will add even more downward pressure to your wages and benefits, wherever you live and work. Republicans in the Michigan legislature have rammed through anti-union "right-to-work" laws making union dues...
by Stan Collender | Dec 11, 2012 | Blog
Whatever Congress and the White House do in the next couple of weeks will reinforce the case for tax reform. The seeming sanctification of low tax rates that occurred with the Tax Reform Act of 1986 has not meant keeping top tax rates low; it has meant only the death...
by Digby | Dec 11, 2012 | Blog
This piece by Aaron Carroll explains in full detail why raising the Medicare age is daft (and cruel): What you’re seeing is life expectancy at age 65 broken out in to the top half of earners and the bottom half of earners, from 1977 to 2007. I got these data from a...
by Leo Gerard | Dec 11, 2012 | Blog
Mitch McConnell, the minority leader of the U.S. Senate, has for six years wielded the filibuster as a weapon in his rebellion against a founding principle of the United States of America – self-governance by majority rule. McConnell’s revolt shows he believes...
by Terrance Heath | Dec 11, 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: Four Bad Liberal...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 11, 2012 | Blog
It's tempting to read these pieces by Matt Yglesias and Jonathan Chait and decide that, all things considered, liberals should at least consider raising the Medicare age to 67 as part of a budget compromise. They shouldn't. "This seems like a useful time for liberals...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Dec 10, 2012 | Blog
This week six members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus will be strategizing over how to shift leftward the center of gravity in the debate over taxes and federal deficits. It is not enough, they argue, that some Republicans are grudgingly accepting the end of...
by Terrance Heath | Dec 10, 2012 | Blog, Economy, Minimum Wage
Apparently, the "fiscal cliff" is no cliffhanger. Howard Kurtz writes that Americans are "tuning out" the "fiscal cliff" debates in Washington because "the players haven’t gotten serious," about making a deal. Maybe it's because we know a "made for TV drama" when we...
by Digby | Dec 10, 2012 | Blog, The Sequester
Today is a progressive "day of action" on the fiscal cliff negotiations with a bunch of organizations holding events around the country. Here's one from the AFL-CIO. You can click over to find the event near you: PROTECT OUR FUTURE IN THE COMING BUDGET SHOWDOWN After...
by Stan Collender | Dec 10, 2012 | Blog
There's really not much new to say about the fiscal cliff except that, as of today, we're now three weeks away from it happening. There's especially not much new to say when the only news is that a meeting took place at the White House over the weekend between the...
by Terrance Heath | Dec 10, 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: Four Republican...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 9, 2012 | Blog
The Republicans are demanding $600 billion in Medicare cuts over the next ten years. Their only concrete proposal is to deny Medicare coverage to Americans during what is now their first two years of eligibility, at ages 65 and 66. But their official offer isn't even...
by Sam Pizzigati | Dec 9, 2012 | Blog
The political friends of America's rich aren't aiming to convince us that higher taxes on the nation's highest incomes make no sense. They're just hoping to keep us distracted. Why do so many lawmakers in Congress oppose raising taxes on America’s wealthy, even just a...
by Dave Johnson | Dec 8, 2012 | Blog
Cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security hurt PEOPLE. Raising tax rates on the wealthy is just money. They do not equate, do not trade them. Please join Monday's big, national event and add your voice. The "Lame Duck" -- unelected -- Congress is deep in...
by Richard Eskow | Dec 7, 2012 | Blog
It's almost impossible to believe: With the private-sector economy struggling and politicians worried about government spending, the biggest proposal on the table is raising the Medicare age to 67. That would take far more out of household budgets than it would save...
