Archive
Concerned About Climate Change? Change Where You Bank!
At the end of April, hundreds of thousands of people will take part in the People’s Climate March in DC and around the country. The march will send a clear message that the majority of Americans understand that climate change is all too real — and they'll continue to...
A Great Clucking Idea
If you live in Austin, Texas, the city will pay you to get chickens. That's right. Whereas in the past, cities often banned urban chickens, our nation has now crossed a threshold in which a city will pay residents to keep chickens. The program is an effort to reduce...
Obamacare Is Actually Working
Question: What do you get when you mix a barrel of fables, a sack of mendacity, and a gross of whoppers – topped with a thick layer of subterfuge? Answer: The fiasco that's been the Republican attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. "We're going to do something...
Making United Great Again
In OtherWords: April 12, 2017
It's almost Tax Day — have you paid your fair share? If you're a Wall Street bank, probably not. This week in OtherWords, my colleague Sarah Anderson reveals how big banks use legal loopholes to get around paying their full tax bill. And she proposes a surprisingly...
After the Chemical Attack, It’s Time to Get Rid of the ‘Muslim Ban’
When I saw footage of the alleged sarin gas attack in Syria, I felt ill. The whole episode, which killed up to 100 civilians in Syria’s Idlib province, was ghastly. But worst of all was the kids — glassy-eyed, discolored, and limp as their little bodies were carried...
You Pay Your Fair Share. Shouldn’t Wall Street?
Did you pay all of your taxes this April? Wall Street banks typically pay much less than the official 35 percent corporate tax rate. And yet after attacking Hillary Clinton for her ties to Wall Street, President Donald Trump is pushing reforms that would make it even...
Trump’s War on Urban ‘Carnage’ Was a Ruse
One of President Trump’s favorite themes is what he calls "American carnage" — typified by "the violence" and "the gangs." To that end, he's repeatedly highlighted the violence in Chicago. A few days after he was inaugurated, he even issued this warning via Twitter:...
Give Your Old Stuff to Others — Not the Landfill
My neighbor moved out this week. I learned that when I found a moving truck blocking my car and I couldn't get out of the driveway. No matter — by the end of the day, the truck was gone. In its place, however, was a queen-sized pillow-top mattress, a wooden dresser,...
Nuns Take On Wells Fargo
In an insightful song about outlaws, Woody Guthrie wrote this verse: "As through this world I travel / I see lots of funny men / Some'll rob you with a 6-gun / Some with a fountain pen." The fountain pens are doing the serious stealing these days. For example, while...
