Economy and Business
The Next Subprime Loan Crisis
The self-described "Geniuses of Wall Street" are being stupid. Again. In 2007, their stupid schemes and frauds crashed our economy, destroying middle-class jobs, wealth, and opportunities. Far from being punished, however, the scofflaws were bailed out by their...
Teachers Shouldn’t Have to Panhandle for School Supplies
Back to school! These three simple words used to leave America’s public school teachers giddy with anticipation. Now they leave them opening up their wallets and worrying. The problem? Teachers have been spending out of their own pockets for generations to decorate...
Stop the Buzz Killing Beer Barons!
Next time you reach for a cold beer on a hot summer day, you'll have some uninvited drinking buddies: the beer barons. Two conglomerates now control 90 percent of U.S. beer production. They use their power to raise prices, squeeze out small brewers, and limit your...
What Happened to All Those Foreclosed Houses?
We know that millions of American families lost their homes after Wall Street's 2007 financial crash. But where did all those houses go? It turns out that Wall Streeters themselves formed profiteering investment groups that rushed out to scoop up tens of thousands of...
How Air Conditioning Unites — And Divides
Before air conditioning, even presidents had to suffer. In the summer months, Abraham Lincoln used to ride a horse every evening from the White House to a cottage at a higher elevation four miles away. There he'd join his family in an attempt to escape the muggiest...
Don’t Lie to Poor Kids About Why They’re Poor
Work hard and you’ll get ahead — that’s the mantra driven into young people across the country. But what happens when children born into poverty run face first into the crushing reality that the society they live in really isn’t that fair at all? As new research...
Trumping Up Our Trains
Every time the train derails, my mother begs me to stay put. But how can I? Along the densely populated eastern seaboard, your life is structured around transport. Not everyone can live in New York City or Washington D.C., so millions of people who work there commute...
You Can Vote Every Day — With Your Dollars
All shopping is not created equal — we all have our preferred soaps and phone brands. I’d rather walk a bit further to my favorite grocery store than the closer one at the end of the block. Sometimes these choices are based on convenience, familiarity, quality, or...
Don’t Let Corporations Pick What Websites You Visit
Think about the websites you visit. The movies you stream. The music you listen to online. The animal videos that are just too cute not to share. Now think about the freedom to use the internet however and whenever you choose being taken away from you. That's exactly...
How Tax-Dodging Billionaires Use Farmers as Props
After this summer, President Trump and the Republican Congress have one big item on their agenda: taxes. Specifically, cutting them for the rich. One tax they've got in their crosshairs is the estate tax — which they malign as "the death tax." But it's nothing of the...
