Tightening Whose Belt?

Tightening Whose Belt?

Listening to so-called fiscal conservatives like Representatives Kevin Brady and Mike Kelly, you’d think we were in a desperate fight for survival, with the national debt threatening our future. “I cannot in good conscience support adding more debt to the backs...
The GOP Bucks Teddy Roosevelt’s Legacy

The GOP Bucks Teddy Roosevelt’s Legacy

Republican lawmakers celebrated Tax Day by voting to repeal the estate tax. If they get their way, the multi-millionaires and billionaires who fund their election campaigns will reap a huge tax break. First, some myth busting. The federal tax on inheritance only...
Subsidizing the Idle Rich While Poor Kids Go Hungry

Subsidizing the Idle Rich While Poor Kids Go Hungry

To hear some politicians tell it, America’s welfare system is facing a grave crisis: Millions of poor people, they say, are idling away their time eating lobster and relaxing on cruises. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, for example, recently signed welfare reform...
Coddling the Rich

Coddling the Rich

Question: How much did Congress save taxpayers last year when it cut food stamp benefits for 16 million poor children? Answer: Less than the windfall Congress is trying to bestow on a few of the richest American families by ending the federal estate tax. The House has...