by Robert Borosage | May 17, 2011 | Blog, Financial Reform, Making it in America
Less than a week after launching his presidential campaign, Newt Gingrich's candidacy has already been declared "done" and "over" by conservative pundit Charles Krauthammer. Gingrich's mouth—always faster than his brain—has been gorging on his...
by Sam Pizzigati | May 17, 2011 | Blog
America's super rich, new IRS income data show, partied on right through the depth of the Great Recession. And they shared precious little of their good fortune with Uncle Sam. In 2008, the IRS revealed last week, 400 Americans reported at least $110 million in income...
by Dave Johnson | May 17, 2011 | Blog
When we hear about the deficits we hear a lot of scare stories, which most "serious" media just echo and amplify. The prevailing "serious" narrative we hear is that we must cut entitlements -- any “serious” budget proposal cuts Medicare and Social Security. Even...
by Bill Scher | May 17, 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: Wall Street,...
by Richard Eskow | May 16, 2011 | Blog, Financial Reform
In a piece called "Wall Street: Not Guilty," financial columnist Roger Lowenstein attempts to defend Wall Street against allegations that it's a viper's nest of rampant criminality. His mischaracterization, mockery, and vague suggestions of McCarthyism are strident,...
by Bill Scher | May 16, 2011 | Blog
The President's health reform law has mostly been considered a political liability for him and his party, especially since it failed to keep Congress in control of the Democrats. But the events of the past few days suggests Republicans are experiencing an internal...
by | May 16, 2011 | Blog
In case you were wondering what's "on the table" in the phony baloney debt ceiling "negotiations" this is what the Wall Street Journal is reporting today. I would take it with a grain of salt — these kinds of leaks are almost surely self-serving: People familiar with...
by Bill Scher | May 16, 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: Stiffed By Our Top...
by Dave Johnson | May 15, 2011 | Blog, Economy
You hear it again and again, variation after variation on a core message: if you tax rich people it kills jobs. You hear about "job-killing tax hikes," or that "taxing the rich hurts jobs," "taxes kill jobs," "taxes take money out of the economy, "if you tax the rich...
by Dave Johnson | May 14, 2011 | Blog
You think we have a debt crisis now? You should have seen the one Canada had in 1993!!! And just like this one, it was phony, designed to scare people into cutting and privatizing government so the rich can get even richer. The following is from The Shock Doctrine,...
by | May 13, 2011 | Blog
It's one thing for the Republicans and centrist Democrats to defy their voters. But is there anyone on the planet who believes hey are really going to defy these guys? Sixty-two business groups, including the American Gas Association, the Telecommunications Industry...
by Bill Scher | May 13, 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: Forget Raj: "Too...
by Richard Eskow | May 13, 2011 | Blog, Financial Reform, Too Big To Jail
Some of the headlines about the conviction of hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam are misleading or just plain wrong. The Rajaratnam guilty verdict won't "change the way Wall Street does business" - not where it matters most. Too Big to Fail banks will continue to...
by Jeff Bryant | May 12, 2011 | Blog, Education
Any experienced first-grade teacher can tell you how to spot the new kids in class who've never been exposed to books. They often don't know where to start with a book, turning to the back page or holding it the wrong way. Sometimes they ignore books altogether and,...
by Richard Eskow | May 12, 2011 | Blog
Bernie Sanders may represent Vermont and have a New York accent, but right now he looks a little like a Texas Ranger. The motto for those Lone Star State lawmen - "One Riot, One Ranger" - comes from their legendary ability to face down a hostile crowd single-handed....
by Bill Scher | May 12, 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: Budget Talks: Who...
by Sam Pizzigati | May 11, 2011 | Blog, Economy
Real policy wonks bore people. The phony wonk from Wisconsin now driving Congress seduces, with a patter that leaves our wealthy almost completely disappeared. Rep. Paul Ryan from Wisconsin revels in his rep, inside the beltway, as America’s ultimate...
by Dave Johnson | May 11, 2011 | Blog
The On May 12 Coalition is holding actions in New York City tomorrow to hold big banks and corporations accountable for crashing our economy and asking them to pay their fair share to help get the country back on track. Mayor Bloomberg is asking for terrible budget...
by Sam Pizzigati | May 11, 2011 | Blog
Financial industry analysts are going ga-ga over the soaring cohorts of mega rich in China and India. But researchers at one influential global financial consulting group are calculating that the U.S. millionaire share of world millionaire wealth will actually...
by | May 11, 2011 | Blog
People in Washington have incredibly bad memories. The last time that the United States balanced its budget was just a decade ago. Even though this is not distant history, almost no one in a policy-making position or in the media seems able to remember how the United...
by Dave Johnson | May 11, 2011 | Blog, Making it in America
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner appeared this week on Charlie Rose. Watch as he brilliantly explains why we have to let China continue along its current path. Watching this brings to mind how he so brilliantly advocated for Wall Street and the giant banks. But who...
by Terrance Heath | May 11, 2011 | Blog
Remember when I said the tea party has the potential to be the GOP's psycho ex-girlfriend? Well, Dana Milbank's latest column — about tea party activists attacking John Boehner, Paul Ryan and the GOP for not killing the hostage tying an increase in the debt ceiling to...
by Richard Eskow | May 11, 2011 | Blog, Financial Reform
What do you do when the economy's a disaster, things are getting worse, and nobody seems to give gives a damn? What do you do? This country has been divided into two economies. One's the economy of Wall Street and corporate Manhattan, along with Washington's thriving...
by Dave Johnson | May 11, 2011 | Blog
Digby writes, in The GOP Wish List, that Democrats are practically begging Republicans to make demands using the country's urgent need for a debt ceiling increase as a hostage, And why not? As long as the Democrats are pretending that they have to do whatever the...
by Bill Scher | May 11, 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: Washington Ignores...
by | May 10, 2011 | Blog, Economy
The Washington Post once again showed why it is known as "Fox on 15th Street," running an editorial with the subhead, "tackling the specter of structural unemployment," which essentially offers nothing to address the problem. The piece got off to a...
by | May 10, 2011 | Blog
Looks like Boehner isn't the only one with a few conditions: The two sides of the debate over whether the tea party is at heart a socially conservative movement or a fiscally conservative one smashed together Monday morning at a press conference in Washington, where a...
by Roger Hickey | May 10, 2011 | Blog
Out in America, unemployment is back up to 9 percent, but inside the Washington Beltway bubble the consensus, driven by conservatives, seems to be for austerity. An unholy alliance of pundits, politicians and even reporters— who differ only in degree—is insisting on...
by Robert Borosage | May 10, 2011 | Blog
"Give us trillions in cuts in Medicare and Medicaid or we blow up the economy." Stripped of its politician's gloss, this is the message that House Speaker John Boehner delivered to Wall Street Monday in discussing the price Republicans demand for raising the debt...
by Dave Johnson | May 10, 2011 | Blog
You can't open a newspaper or turn on a radio or TV without being told that the world is going to end because of the deficit. The deficit was caused by tax cuts for the rich, huge military spending increases, two wars and the costs of our health care system. So of...
by Bill Scher | May 10, 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: American Media,...
by Dave Johnson | May 9, 2011 | Blog
Today the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue begins in Washington. This is the third such meeting, and it's time for the Obama administration to get it right. China has not been engaging in "trade" with us, they have been engaging in something else entirely. The...
by Bill Scher | May 9, 2011 | Blog, Minimum Wage
Former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain became the surprise winner of the first Republican presidential primary debate, after a focus group organized by Fox News overwhelming embraced him. What he did say that was so compelling to conservatives? Cain received the...
by Bill Scher | May 9, 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: Deconstructing...
by Isaiah J. Poole | May 6, 2011 | Blog
While you're thinking of your mother on Mother's Day, think about the health care options your mother should have once she is 65. One of the greatest gifts we can leave for our parents is the defeat of the Medicare privatization plan that conservatives want to foist...
by Terrance Heath | May 6, 2011 | Blog
You can tell a lot about someone by the company they keep. Or so the saying goes. The GOP held its first presidential primary debate in Greenville, South Carolina, with the help of some very interesting — and very telling — company from the farthest of the far-right...
by | May 6, 2011 | Blog
The following was originally published at UnemployedWorkers.org Less than five months after approving a reauthorization of federally-funded unemployment insurance benefits as part of an agreement to extend tax cuts for those with the highest incomes, leading members...
by Dave Johnson | May 6, 2011 | Blog
China's Vice Finance Minister lectured US administration officials about our debt and told us to mind our own business when it comes to China's currency manipulation. It is about time the United States started minding our own business by taking steps to protect our...
by Bill Scher | May 6, 2011 | Blog
According to the Republican-led House, American energy independence involves Americans producing energy. But not Americans keeping our own energy. Yesterday, the House passed a bill to expand coastal drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and eastern seaboard without careful...
by Isaiah J. Poole | May 6, 2011 | Blog, Economy
It is amazing, given that we've been fighting a three-alarm unemployment fire with water buckets the past few months, that there is any positive news at all in the unemployment front. But there was a surprising net increase in 244,000 new jobs in April—a sliver of...
