The Devil Is in the Taxes

The Devil Is in the Taxes

While pretty much everybody agrees that the U.S. tax code is a mess, nobody does anything about it. Oh, politicians talk about doing something, but mainly what they do is make it worse. There’s a reason for this. You. You’re the reason. People, alas, tend...
The Bezillionaire Times

The Bezillionaire Times

Amazon’s bezillionaire CEO is buying The Washington Post, America’s second-most prestigious daily newspaper. Jeff Bezos only had to pay $250 million, less than 1 percent of his $28 billion personal fortune. Has plutocracy finally overwhelmed our press?...
Blowing the Whistle on Philanthropy

Blowing the Whistle on Philanthropy

Inequality has a silver lining. At least the awesomely affluent think so. If we didn’t have grand fortunes, their claim goes, we wouldn’t have grand philanthropy. No foundations and handsome bequests for underwriting good causes. No gifts and grants by the...
Why I’m Fed Up with Summers

Why I’m Fed Up with Summers

Will America ever get rid of Robert Rubin? The Wall Streeter became a top economic witch doctor for Bill Clinton in the 1990s. During his tenure, he convinced old Gullible Bill to Drop his campaign promise to help working families by raising the minimum wage. Push...
Exploited by Your Tax Dollars

Exploited by Your Tax Dollars

McDonald’s really stepped in it this summer when the fast food empire created a budget for its underpaid employees to help them make ends meet on the low wages they bring home after flipping burgers all week. At first, the McBudget didn’t include any money...
The Devil Is in the Taxes

The Real IRS Scandal

For weeks, we watched Representative Darrell Issa and the conservative media circus concoct a “scandal” surrounding the IRS’s handling of applications by tea party groups for tax-exempt status. The California Republican and his allies then sought to...