Economy and Business
Fed Up with Washington, DC? Look to Washington State.
Forward thinking in Washington these days is limited to federal law-makers scheming new and innovative ways to bolster the fortunes of the ultra-wealthy at the expense of just about everyone else. That is, in Washington, DC. On the other side of the country in...
1984 at the Grocery Store
Wall Street analysts tell us that Amazon's $14 billion buyout of Whole Foods isn't only a win-win for both of them, but also for consumers, for Amazon intends to lower the organic grocer's prices. Really? Yes, they say, because Amazon will use its amazing...
There’s No Good Reason for Your Boss to Make 347 Times What You Do
CEO pay at America's 500 largest companies averaged $13.1 million in 2016. That's 347 times what the average employee makes. So CEOs make a lot of money. But, some say, so do athletes and movie stars. Why pick on corporate bosses, then? First, because the market sets...
What Happened to America’s Wealth? The Rich Hid It.
If you find yourself traveling this summer, take a closer look at America’s deteriorating infrastructure — our crumbling roads, sidewalks, public parks, and train and bus stations. Government officials will tell us "there's no money" to repair or properly maintain our...
Student Debt Means Fewer Public Servants — and More Bankers
Cum laude, my diploma reads — "with honor." But cum debitum, "with debt," is a bit more accurate. Collectively, America’s student borrowers owe $1.7 trillion. On average, each graduating senior this year is beginning their life around $37,000 in the hole. That looks...
Companies Can Either Make Things or Make CEOs Rich
Jeff Immelt, the CEO of General Electric since 2001, is retiring. The 61-year-old will be making a well-compensated exit. Fortune magazine estimates that Immelt will walk off with nearly $211 million, on top of his regular annual pay. Immelt’s annual pay hasn’t been...
Honor Juneteenth by Closing the Racial Wealth Divide
On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas. They carried some historic news: Slavery had finally and completely ended, they declared. All of America’s enslaved people were now free, some two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation...
The Unpleasant Impact of an Unserious Budget
Federal budgets, while boring and wonky, can have a serious impact on our lives. They dictate our collective priorities for how we choose to spend our public resources in support of the common good. That is, good budgets do that. But you’d be hard-pressed to call the...
Making NAFTA Worse
Like rose blossoms, a politician's promises can be beautiful when they burst into full, glorious bloom — only to fade over time and, petal by petal, fall away. Take Donald Trump's glorious pledge last year to renegotiate the NAFTA trade deal and provide a "much...
Pain as a Policy Choice
On average, our economy tanks every seven years or so. By now we should have a pretty good idea of why that tanking happens, how we can protect ourselves, and what the impact will be. Unfortunately, we don’t. Recessions remain a bit like death, inevitable yet near...
