Economy and Business
Beware of the Cowardly Deficit Vulture
There’s an invasive species in our national discourse, a recent arrival in our civic forest. It’s the “yellow-bellied deficit vulture,” recently spotted circling the Capitol building and heard squawking on syndicated talk shows.
It Takes too Much Money to Run
There’s no small irony in the United States forcing “democracy” down the throats of our adversaries around the world while our own democracy is teetering on so many perilous brinks. Given the shaky system here, what nation abroad would want to take direction from us?
Speculation Tax
Rep. Pete Stark introduced legislation today that would “simply impose a small tax–of five thousandths of one percent, or 0.005%” on speculative currency transactions, the California Democrat said in on Huffington Post. “The money raised would be put toward investments in children, global health, and climate change mitigation.”
Spending on the Rich, Cutting Back on the Rest of Us
Deficit hawks are on the fly in Washington, madly screeching that America can no longer afford…well, the American people.
The Lineup: Week of July 12-18, 2010
The latest OtherWords editorial package features an op-ed by Karen Dolan and a cartoon by Khalil Bendib about the congressional failure to extend unemployment benefits.
Unemployed Become a Political Football
Fifteen million Americans are currently unemployed, and nearly half of that number has been actively and fruitlessly seeking employment for longer than six months. The depth and breadth of our labor market crisis is the greatest in over 50 years.
Shovel Ready
The Million-Dollar Penny
Every summer, several financial firms competing to get the banking business of the world’s mega millionaires release what amounts to scorecards on global wealth. These data-packed reports tally the current number of our international rich and super-rich, by nation and region.
Raking it in at Walmart
Chicago alderman Ed Smith tried to fight plans for Walmart to open a new store in his city by illustrating that its CEO Michael Duke’s $35 million annual compensation, “when converted to an hourly wage, worked out to $16,826.92,” ABC News reported. “By comparison, at a Walmart store planned for the Windy City’s Pullman neighborhood, new employees to be paid $8.75 an hour would gross $13,650 a year.”
Letters to the Editor: Kaul’s $50 Bill Column
Here’s how our readers have responded to Kaul’s column back in April about conservatives attempting to replace Grant with Reagan on the $50 bill.
