Archive
Inequality Is Hurting Us All
Inequality hurts us all. Imagine if you could go back 45 years to 1968. That year, after three decades of creative policy from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal through President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society, the United States was one of the world's most...
One Nation, Without a Clue
There was a time when we had a Greatest Generation. That would be my parents' generation. If you're a mere stripling of 40 or 50 or so, it probably was your grandparents' generation. You know the rap: They survived the Great Depression, won World War II, stood up to...
A Tale of Two Budgets
It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times. In a single week, the House and Senate Budget Committee chairs unveiled their budgets for the 2014 fiscal year. According to Democrats, Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) budget was an unmitigated disaster that would destroy...
Are We Resigned to Living Vastly Unequal Lives?
Billionaire Warren Buffett is still paying taxes at a lower rate than his secretary. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz pocketed $117.5 million last year. The life expectancy gap between Americans of affluent and modest means has widened by five years over the last three...
Eat Your Weeds
You might not be a master gardener, but odds are you grow one of the world's healthiest vegetables in your yard every year. It's a superfood that packs more calcium, iron, magnesium, and Vitamins C, B6, E, and K than an equal amount (by weight) of spinach. And, if you...
The Plan to Turn Medicare into ‘WeDon’tCare’
Apparently, Rep. Paul Ryan missed the outcome of last November's presidential election. Oh, wait — wasn't he on the ballot in that election as Mitt Romney's running mate? Well, yes, but less than five months later, the Wisconsin Republican seems to have forgotten that...
The Military-Industrial Threat to the Nation’s Well-Being
These days, the news cycle rotates between the deficit, bouts of extreme weather, horrific crimes, taxation, immigration, gun control (or the lack thereof), and a few other regularly reported crises. Lost in this shuffle is any heated discussion of the biggest threat...
Picturing Inequality
Inequality and the Social Security Debate
Rhonda Straw is one of millions of Americans who do important work every day but still have a hard time saving for retirement. As a home health aide, Straw administers medication, changes bandages, and performs other vital services to the elderly and disabled. With an...
This Week in OtherWords: March 13, 2013
This week in OtherWords, Jill Richardson underscores the drawbacks of using artificial food coloring to dye everything St. Patrick's Day green to mark that festive occasion and Frederic Rolando calls for preserving Saturday postal delivery. Here's a clickable summary...
