Have We Hit Peak Inequality?

Have We Hit Peak Inequality?

When should we be alarmed about so much wealth in so few hands? The Great Recession and its anemic recovery only deepened the economic inequality that’s drawn so much attention in its wake. Nearly all wealth and income gains since then have flowed to the top...
Pay Fair or Pay Up

Pay Fair or Pay Up

Have you ever complained about the cost of funding social programs for the poor? Then you should support a living wage for workers. That’s the message supporters of the Responsible Business Act are sending employers in Chicago. The bill would charge Cook County...
Nuts to First Class

Nuts to First Class

I recently had the occasion to fly first class. As a poet and director of a small non-profit organization, this was a rare treat indeed. So why couldn’t I enjoy myself? It started with the warm nuts. I’d settled in with my free cocktail, having mastered the...
Who Will Care For Grandma?

Who Will Care For Grandma?

Who will take care of grandma? It’s a question we need to answer. As baby boomers grow older, the elderly population — seniors who are 80 and older — will increase almost 200 percent by 2050. Our long-term care system isn’t ready. Studies show that older Americans...
$248 a Minute

$248 a Minute

Florida’s Disney World bills itself “the happiest place on Earth.” But last year, some Disney World employees made so little they became homeless. Meanwhile, Disney paid CEO Robert Iger $46.5 million. That amounts to a stunning $248 a minute if he works 60...