Archive
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...
Gropers Unite
In OtherWords: April 5, 2017
This week, the Senate votes on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. Several weeks back, we ran a piece by People for the American Way's Michael Keegan (read it here, if you missed it then) on the corporate-friendly line he expected Gorsuch to take on the bench. This...
Money Talks. We Need to Talk Louder.
In today's polarized political climate, it seems like there's no issue that people can agree on — except for maybe one. Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, and people on all parts of the spectrum largely agree on one thing: There's too much money in...
A Tax Plan Only a One Percenter Could Love
After the failed effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), the Trump administration has set its sights on its next big project: so-called "tax reform." And the "reform" they seek appears guaranteed to elicit disdain from all sides — with the notable...
