Where’s Joe the Plumber When You Need Him?

Where’s Joe the Plumber When You Need Him?

Four years ago, a chance encounter between Barack Obama and Samuel “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher injected inequality right into the heart of the 2008 presidential race. Obama explained to the then-unknown Wurzelbacher that “when you spread the...
Middle Class Fantasy

Middle Class Fantasy

Yes, my job Is in the ditch; But not the incomes Of the rich. America is big on fantasies. We savor staged reality shows and overhyped football games. We fawn over celebrities and video games. But perhaps our biggest fantasy is the persistent belief that nearly all of...
A Congressional Report Card for the 99 Percent

A Congressional Report Card for the 99 Percent

Lots of Americans today are watching how members of Congress go about their business. Environmentalists and electrical workers alike keep track of key congressional votes. So do retailers and farmers. Even poker players are following how members of Congress rate on...
A Vanishing Act for Good Jobs

A Vanishing Act for Good Jobs

Ashley Brown wants to be a bank teller. When I met her this past spring, the 26-year old single mother was cold-calling banks and credit unions, looking for one that might hire her. So far, she’d had one interview and a lot of unfriendly brush-offs. No offers....