by Isaiah J. Poole | Sep 6, 2011 | Blog, Economy
One development on the jobs front that received far less attention than it deserved was California Rep. George Miller's reintroduction last week of his "Local Jobs for America Act," a proposal that we vigorously supported and that received the backing of more than 300...
by | Sep 6, 2011 | Blog, Economy, Minimum Wage
Robert Reich will be a featured speaker at the Take Back the American Dream conference, convening in Washington D.C., from October 3 to 5. THE 5 percent of Americans with the highest incomes now account for 37 percent of all consumer purchases, according to the latest...
by Bill Scher | Sep 6, 2011 | 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: A Five-Point Jobs...
by Sam Pizzigati | Sep 4, 2011 | Blog
A new report from the Institute for Policy Studies documents how America's top corporate execs are stiffing Uncle Sam — and lavishly lining their own pockets in the process. Sarah Anderson, a veteran analyst at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., has...
by | Sep 2, 2011 | Blog
Today’s Bureau of Labor Statistics report on U.S. jobs in August shows not only that no new jobs were created in August – zero change – but it also revises down the number of jobs in June and July, mostly due to worse than previously estimated cuts in state and local...
by Robert Borosage | Sep 2, 2011 | Blog
Zero -- nada -- 0 -- jobs added in August. Hourly wages down. Average work weeks down. The recession returns. This was predictable and predicted. Conservatives -- in both parties -- have it wrong once more. Government cuts in a weak economy cost jobs and sap growth....
by Isaiah J. Poole | Sep 2, 2011 | 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: Labor Day Is A Day...
by Dave Johnson | Sep 1, 2011 | Blog, Economy, Making it in America
Here is a fact about bipartisanship and civility in Washington: the Republicans in Congress will obstruct anything President Obama proposes to create jobs and help the economy, period. A bad economy helps them in the coming elections, and that is that. Deal with it....
by Richard Eskow | Sep 1, 2011 | Blog, Economy
Remember The Music Man? That's the musical where a con man tricks an entire town's parents into buying musical instruments they don't need by promising to teach music to their kids. Then he skips town. Only when he makes good on his promises is he forgiven by the town...
by | Sep 1, 2011 | Blog
I've been writing about the conservative movement's long term project to disenfranchise Democratic voters since I started this blog. I had hoped that after the debacle of the 2000 election, the Democrats would take this issue seriously and put some weight behind...
by Terrance Heath | Sep 1, 2011 | Blog
The CNNMoney piece on "firing horror stories" that inspired my previous post offered the employers' perspective on what's all too common story in this economy. Since then, I've found a few similar pieces, like this one from Fortune magazine, which once again...
by Terrance Heath | Sep 1, 2011 | 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: A Fair Mortgage...
by Terrance Heath | Aug 31, 2011 | Blog
This CNNMoney Piece, "Firing horror stories" caught my eye, That's partly because it offered a perspective I don't always consider, while addressing a painful phenomenon only made more so in this recession. Think getting fired is hard? Try doing the firing....
by Dave Johnson | Aug 31, 2011 | Blog
"Transportation Bill Actually Not Boring" is actually not a headline from the Onion. President Obama today urged House Republicans to please not let the "Surface Transportation Bill" expire at the end of September. Up to one million people will lose their jobs if the...
by Leo Gerard | Aug 31, 2011 | Blog
Celebrate Labor Day. Really, celebrate. It’s important. Wear a t-shirt announcing to the world the name of your union and march in a parade, chanting and whooping it up about how glad you are to belong to an organization whose members are devoted to looking out for...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Aug 31, 2011 | 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: Perry's Iowa...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 30, 2011 | Blog, Economy, Making it in America
Before leaving on vacation President Obama said he is going to talk about creating jobs in September. The latest word is he will give this speech next week. Campaign for America’s Future has put together some ideas for creating jobs. See our series Big Ideas To Get...
by Robert Borosage | Aug 30, 2011 | Blog, Economy, Minimum Wage
Washington is waiting for President Obama. Next week, the president has scheduled a big speech to propose new measures to create jobs and get the economy going. Reports are that the administration still has not decided whether to put forth a politically bold plan or...
by Terrance Heath | Aug 30, 2011 | 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: Today's Visionary:...
by | Aug 30, 2011 | Blog
Huh? "The United States needs to be less dependent on foreign sources of energy and more dependent upon American resourcefulness. Whether that is in the Everglades, or whether that is in the eastern Gulf region, or whether that's in North Dakota, we need to go where...
by Terrance Heath | Aug 30, 2011 | 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: Raising the...
by Sam Pizzigati | Aug 29, 2011 | Blog
Forty years ago, U.S. corporate honchos saw their power ebbing away — to a ragtag mob of long-hairs and loony social reformers. So they did what corporate honchos always do. They asked for a memo. A landmark historical anniversary passed by almost totally unnoticed...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 29, 2011 | Blog
You hear over and over that Social Security is "in trouble" or that we "can't afford it." This is as far from true as can be, and the idea behind this is to convince people to just give up on defending the program and let the haters have their way. The people who hate...
by Terrance Heath | Aug 29, 2011 | Blog, Economy
I spent Thursday with my eight-year-old son, wandering through the Smithsonian American History and Air & Space museums. From the war for independence to the Apollo moon landing, it was a tour through some of the most audacious of American dreams, dared and realized....
by | Aug 29, 2011 | Blog
Look at the polls. Better yet, talk to a friend, neighbor, or family member and it’s crystal clear that Americans are worried about jobs, foreclosures and the ever-widening wealth and income gap. Instead of solutions, what we’re getting from D.C. are cuts to the...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Aug 29, 2011 | Blog, Minimum Wage
The appointment of economist Alan Krueger, who President Obama named to head the Council of Economic Advisers today, is getting generally favorable reviews from progressive economic commentators. For the unemployed, that means there would be a high-level voice in the...
by | Aug 29, 2011 | Blog
Here's one of California's worst ever contributions to the congress (and considering our history, that's saying something) telling his constituents that you can't possibly raise taxes in an economic downturn: Now, it's fair to say this if you subscribe to Keynesian...
by Richard Eskow | Aug 29, 2011 | Blog
Young Americans are a generation betrayed. Official unemployment is more than 25% for those aged 16-19. That means the real figure is much worse, especially in minority communities and depressed parts of the country. But jobs are scarce for everyone. College students...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 29, 2011 | Blog
Problem: Your right-wing brother-in-law is plugged into the Fox-Limbaugh lie machine, and keeps sending you emails about "Obama spending" and "Obama deficits" and how the "Stimulus" just made things worse. Solution: Here are three "reality-based" charts to send to...
by Richard Eskow | Aug 29, 2011 | Blog, Economy, Financial Reform, Minimum Wage
A lot of people in the media are so afraid of offending anyone that they can't even tell the truth about the man whose memorial is being unveiled this weekend in Washington. Their coverage could give you the impression that the purpose of Martin Luther King, Jr's life...
by Richard Eskow | Aug 29, 2011 | Blog
When somebody you think pretty highly of does something that seems crazy, the fairest thing you can do is ask them "Why the hell did you do that?" Kinky Friedman's somebody I've followed for years, first as the bandleader of the Texas Jewboys and then as an...
by Richard Eskow | Aug 28, 2011 | Blog, Economy, Financial Reform, Minimum Wage
A lot of people in the media are so afraid of offending anyone with controversial truths that they can't even tell the truth about the man whose holiday we're celebrating this weekend. Their coverage could give you the impression that the purpose of Martin Luther...
by | Aug 26, 2011 | Blog
Sally Kohn will be a featured speaker at the Oct. 3-5 Take Back the American Dream conference. Click here to register. In the past few weeks alone, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Cisco Systems and Borders have all announced massive layoffs. Borders is closing its...
by | Aug 26, 2011 | Blog
The wingnuts all believe they're going to live forever and nothing bad can ever happen to them. Here's the GOP's Great Hispanic Hope on Medicare and Social Security: These programs actually weakened us as a people. You see, almost forever, it was institutions in...
by | Aug 26, 2011 | Blog
President Barack Obama plans to give a major economic speech after Labor Day. It has been suggested that “finally, Washington is going to have a serious conversation about creating jobs.” But it is also the American people who finally need to have a serious...
by Bill Scher | Aug 26, 2011 | 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: The Secret Bailout...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 25, 2011 | Blog
Do you think that corporate greed has gotten out of control? Here is your chance to take a stand against corporate greed in a way that can make a difference. There is a greedy corporation that right now is trying to take away its workers' benefits and job security....
by Richard Eskow | Aug 25, 2011 | Blog
We've just learned about the Federal Reserve's extraordinary secret bailout of the country's big banks. We now know that the TARP bailout program was only the tip of the iceberg, and that financial institutions received a total of $1.2 trillion in loans and other...
by Richard Eskow | Aug 25, 2011 | Blog
The other day we had an interesting discussion of that secret Fed bailout on Thom Hartmann's TV program, The Big Picture. Here's the video.
by Bill Scher | Aug 25, 2011 | 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: Don't Kill The...
