Let’s Pay Our Bills

Let’s Pay Our Bills

Sometimes when I get a bill I don’t feel like paying it. But I do, because I’m a responsible adult. If I don’t pay my bills, I get in trouble. It’s true for a family and for a government. Republicans in Congress are creating another...
When Uncle Sam Pays Dividends

When Uncle Sam Pays Dividends

Who won the New Year’s Eve budget standoff? In one sense, everyone scored a “victory.” The deal that Congress eventually blessed includes scores of provisions. Most Americans can point to at least one that works to their financial favor. But the real...
Obama’s Inauguration Sells Out

Obama’s Inauguration Sells Out

He did it. Unfortunately. Sadly. Disappointingly. President Barack Obama, reversing his own honorable precedent for his first inaugural, has chosen this time to have corporations pay for his second round of big shindigs. This multimillion-dollar infusion of corporate...
The Dropped Ball

The Dropped Ball

Millions of Americans watched the ball drop on New Year’s Eve. The glitzy one in Times Square symbolized joy and hope for the New Year. Just a few hundred miles to the south, Congress dropped another ball — one that no doubt sent champagne glasses clinking among...
Our Nation, on Its Knees

Our Nation, on Its Knees

My favorite part of the budget negotiations is when a glum-looking John Boehner — backed by the vulpine Eric Cantor, eyes blazing — steps in from of the cameras and accuses Barack Obama of “not negotiating in good faith.” And he does it with a straight face....
Wakeup Call for the Gun Business

Wakeup Call for the Gun Business

Wall Street financial hucksters can be downright satanic in their pursuit of killer profits, but here’s one that puts its hellishness right in its name: Cerberus Capital Management. In Greek mythology, “Cerberus” is the name of a 3-headed dog that...