#KeepYourPromise
Dear Congressional Member, You've asked a lot of us. You've asked for 12 years of war. You've asked for 5,000 of our lives. You've asked for 50,000 of us to deal with Traumatic Brain Injury. You've...
View ArticleNoam Chomsky Continues to Inspire
This month, Noam Chomsky turned 85 -- and he's the subject of a new animated movie focused on his scientific and social philosophies. He has actually seen this movie, unlike other works about him: "I...
View ArticleJohn Podesta Takes up the Reins On the White House Energy and Climate Initiative
While many in Washington are focused on the miracle of actually seeing Republicans and Democrats mostly coming together on a budget deal, the big news in the energy and environment space is the return...
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Rich Man, Poor Man: The Middle Classes -- Now You See Them, Now You Don't
"I just had a cup of tea with soymilk," tweets Dave Ellis. "It was one of the worst decisions I've ever made in my life." Dave's tweet, and many, many more, can be found on Middle Class Problems,...
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Why Are We Giving Iran Breathing Room?
The Jewish community is deeply concerned about the pending interim agreement with Iran. Wherever I go, from Mayor Bloomberg's farewell Hanukkah party to President Obama's Hanukkah reception at the...
View ArticleIt's Not OK That Your Employees Can't Afford to Eat
It wasn't that long ago that in most companies, especially large ones, a fair amount of time was spent worrying about whether the company's practices towards employees were fair. One of the functions...
View ArticleNotice of Cancellation: Putting a Face on Obamacare
The preservation of choice has been central to the history of the United States. Although not an enumerated freedom per se, choice is by its very nature critical to our everyday lives and to exercising...
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Will Boehner Move On Immigration Reform?
There seems to be an interesting round of speculation taking place in Washington over whether Speaker John Boehner will move on immigration reform in the House next year, and (if so) when he would do...
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How the Inequality/Growth Debate Has Evolved Over Time
Ezra introduces another round in what's become a great discussion, at least to those of us ensconced in the juiciest of issues in contemporary economics -- growth, full employment, inequality. He's got...
View ArticleThe Long Arm of the Constitution: The Administration Is Trying to Evade Its...
In a belated Federal district court decision handed down today -- and stayed for now -- Judge Richard Leon determined that keeping records of Americans' phone calls probably violates the Constitution,...
View ArticleAffluenza, Privilege, and the Threat to American Freedom
Power in America exists as money and education. It is a limited resource. Freedom in America includes (but is broader than) access to opportunities to compete for power. A person who is not able to...
View ArticleDeconstructing PISA: Implications for Education Reform and Fighting Poverty
Every three years, American policymakers eagerly anticipate the release of scores for the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). While any single test, no matter how strong, can explain...
View ArticleEconomic Inequality: When Is Enough Enough?
"[A]s long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no...
View ArticleRe-Branded: The 'New' Republicans (VIDEO)
Courtesy of The Final Edition: The following message is brought to you by "The Republican Effort to Totally Revamp Ourselves in 2014" or... RETRO 2014. Written by John Marshall Voiced by Barry Lank,...
View ArticleNational Security Agency
President Obama's decision to place responsibility for our cyber security with the National Security Agency (NSA) is a classic example of sending the fox to guard the chickens. This is the same agency...
View ArticleEvaluating Obamacare: A Guide for the Perplexed
Any serious effort to evaluate Obamacare must begin with a basic question: Compared to what? Once today's administrative glitches are resolved, the basic goal is to provide Americans with an improved...
View ArticleNew Bill Decreases Mental Health Funding, Increases Mental Illness Funding
Representative Tim Murphy (R., PA) introduced a bill that proposes decreasing mental health spending and increasing mental illness spending. It's a novel, thoughtful proposal that warrants serious...
View ArticleProgressive Economic Policy: Cuomo vs. de Blasio, Supply-siders vs....
The political desert that is Washington is a direct function of its intellectual empty-headedness. It would be nice to blame Tea Party austerity, but there's no articulated, progressive, economic...
View ArticleWhy The Hunger Games Are a Terrible Method for Political Control
So I saw the latest Hunger Games film, Catching Fire, this past weekend. As someone who dislikes children and loves war, this is pretty much the ideal franchise for me. I also love a good dystopia. In...
View ArticleOpening the Gift of Obamacare
Although the conclusion of the open enrollment period for signing up for health care coverage through the individual marketplace had been extended to March 31, 2014, policies that had been adopted by...
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