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Pull Yourself Up by Your Bread Bags

Pull Yourself Up by Your Bread Bags

In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama presented a bold economic vision for America. Do we want a country where only "a few of us do spectacularly well," he asked, or where everyone has a chance to succeed? Obama conveyed this vision by telling the...

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Not Lovin’ It

Not Lovin’ It

McDonald's is scrambling, and I'm not talking about eggs. Your know your business has what image consultants call "quality perception issues" when your public relations team is fielding such questions as: "Does McDonald's beef contain worms?" Thornier yet for the...

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Hair-Raising Hypocrisy

Hair-Raising Hypocrisy

As messed up as it sounds, in the unending struggle for justice, there is such thing as a "positive negative." This occurs when you win a struggle that you never should have had to deal with in the first place. A prime example is presented by the long saga of Isis...

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In OtherWords: January 21, 2015

In OtherWords: January 21, 2015

This week in OtherWords, I point out that President Obama channeled "his inner FDR" during his State of the Union address and Sam Pizzigati describes a way to gauge inequality's price. Do you want to make sure you don’t miss the latest from OtherWords?...

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Obama Tips His Hat to FDR

Obama Tips His Hat to FDR

Whatever happens over the next two years, you can bet that 22nd century school children will know more about President Barack Obama than kids learn today about, say, Calvin Coolidge. He made history just by being the first non-white man to occupy the White House. What...

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Fighting for Europe’s Soul

Fighting for Europe’s Soul

In the first Crusade, armed Christians set out to "liberate" Jerusalem from Muslim rule. In addition to slaughtering thousands of Muslims between 1096 and 1099, the crusaders also launched pogroms against Jews, pagans, and even other Christians. What animated the...

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The Next Big Progressive Battle

The Next Big Progressive Battle

On New Year’s Day, 20 states raised their minimum wages. That leaves a lot of states that aren’t increasing the minimum wage — along with the federal government. Even some of those employees who are getting increases don’t have much to celebrate. Workers in Florida...

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Don’t Give Up the Fight

Don’t Give Up the Fight

My social circle was shaken a few days into the new year with an upsetting blog post. A friend I will call Mary is seriously ill. The blogger requested loving messages to her to be sewn into a quilt. This bombshell began a flood of phone calls, emails, and Facebook...

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In OtherWords: January 21, 2015

Inequality Is Costing Us Big-Time

Have you ever wondered what inequality costs the average American family? That is, what price do we pay — in actual dollars and cents — for tolerating an economy fixated on pumping our treasure to the top? That question has no simple answer. How much, for instance,...

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