Archive
Tax Cuts for the Rich Help the Rich, Not You
Soon you're going to hear about taxes. You’ll see images of families flashing across your TV screen while a soothing narrator assures you that the tax plan being debated in Washington really is good for you. The newspapers you read, the social media apps you scroll...
An Anti-Poverty Program That Makes It Pay to Work
Imagine a government-funded anti-poverty tool that encouraged people to work. Now imagine that it's popular with both Democrats and Republicans, in red states and blue. Turns out we've had just such a tool since 1975: the Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. The EITC is...
Texas Is Flooded Because Our Democracy Is, Too
"It’s flooding down in Texas," goes the old song. "All of the telephone lines are down." With apologies to Stevie Ray Vaughan, there’s a lot more down in Texas than telephone lines now. Power lines are down, homes are destroyed, and cities sit underwater. Dozens have...
Trigger Happy With Toxins
For many years, genetically engineered crops were said to be environmentally responsible. Those crops have genes from different species implanted in them, giving them traits they normally wouldn't have. Companies like Monsanto that produced such strains claimed they...
The Next Subprime Loan Crisis
The self-described "Geniuses of Wall Street" are being stupid. Again. In 2007, their stupid schemes and frauds crashed our economy, destroying middle-class jobs, wealth, and opportunities. Far from being punished, however, the scofflaws were bailed out by their...
The Greatest Dreamer
In OtherWords: August 30, 2017
Last weekend, in a late-Friday announcement in the middle of a hurricane, Donald Trump issued a pardon for Sheriff Joe Arpaio. America's self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff" had been convicted of criminal contempt for refusing a federal order to stop violating the human...
Teachers Shouldn’t Have to Panhandle for School Supplies
Back to school! These three simple words used to leave America’s public school teachers giddy with anticipation. Now they leave them opening up their wallets and worrying. The problem? Teachers have been spending out of their own pockets for generations to decorate...
Trump’s Pardon of Joe Arpaio Is Deeply Disturbing
During a speech to a group of police officers in July, President Trump returned to one of his favorite themes of the campaign season: violence. "Please don’t be too nice" to the "thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon," Trump advised the officers. Be...
‘Farm to Table’ Has Jumped the Shark
Now that Amazon's taken over Whole Foods, a natural foods grocery known for its high prices, the new owners have pledged to lower prices. I stopped by the store to see what had changed. In addition to a few discounts — organic apples went from $2.99 to $1.99 per pound...
