Economy and Business
The Way Forward: Tax and Spend
Have you heard? Our economic policy debate is getting some spring cleaning. President Barack Obama has signaled that he's had it with all that talk about America being broke and the belt-tightening austerity measures that went along with that chatter. His proposed...
Seniors of America Unite! You Have Nothing to Lose but Your Chains.
Listen seniors and those disabled The Chained CPI has now been tabled Cost-of-living increases you rely on Were to be replaced with a shoulder to cry on But because conservatives refused to play And end the corporate tax giveaways Obama decided to toss the "Grand...
We’ve Got a Long Way to Go, Baby
When General Motors named Mary Barra the company's new CEO in December, the announcement made instant headlines. No woman had ever steered a major global automaker . But the hurrahs for GM's historic hire turned into hoots of derision when a company filing revealed...
Buying More Than a Piece of the Rock
One thing about the tea party Republicans in Congress is that they do know who butters their biscuits. Several have recently rushed forward with an anguished plea in defense of Wall Street barons, CEOs, and billionaires: Stop the vilification of wealthy people! I'm...
The Right to Equally Obscene Pay
What Obama Should Order Next: Paycheck Fairness
When President Barack Obama talked about pay equity in his State of the Union speech last month and connected the dots between gender and low-wage work, advocates in the audience were ecstatic. Representative Rosa DeLauro, lead sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act...
Obama Orders, But Not Enough
Some Federal contract workers will get $10.10 an hour. Giving a boost to their buying power. It's a step, we suppose, in the right direction But U.S. workers need much more protection. Like a living wage that keeps pace with inflation, Paid sick leave without being...
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places
Finding true love, philosophers have always understood, can get complicated in deeply unequal places. Grand fortunes tend to give Cupid a hard time not just on Valentine's Day, but all the time. "If you gain fame, power, or wealth, you won't have any trouble finding...
Boxing Us into Poor Job Prospects
You know what America needs? More jobs, that's what. Not Walmart-style "jobettes," but real jobs. We need more stable employment with a good salary and benefits, union jobs so workers have a say in what goes on, and jobs that have strong protections against...
Tipping the Scales of Inequality
At a pancake house in Houston, Claudia spent two hours rolling silverware into napkins on a slow weekend night. Without any tables to serve, she wasn't tipped to supplement her $2.13 hourly wage. Like many other restaurant employers, Claudia's boss did not make up for...
