I think we all recognize that poverty in our nation has increased in the past three years, but what is not so much discussed is that it has been increasing steadily over the past 10 years.  In the past 10 years, millions of Americans who work full-time have consistently fallen [...]

Unlike healthcare reform where I have spent many hours researching the issue, I know very little about the substance of financial reform.  My gut says it would be better to have an independent agency for Consumer Financial Protection but some make an argument that a financial protection agency would be [...]

With the growing abuse of the filibuster and Democrats unwilling to take the strong action necessary to fix the economy and regain the public trust, with the airwaves and cable increasingly dominated by the demagogic likes of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, and with the ever-growing influence of corporate money [...]

After a Superbowl that symbolically saw the city of New Orleans make a statement of defiance and resilience against social and economic injustice, CBS (Corporate Broadcasting System) debuted a show that was a disturbing piece of pro corporate propaganda disguised in the sheep’s clothing (borrowed from Carly Fiorina’s media consultant). [...]

I’ve mentioned Randi Rhodes a few times on this site. She’s probably my favorite progressive broadcaster (Rachel Maddow is nipping at her heels). I like Randi because she reads. She scours the newspapers and agency sites for stories, and she has an uncanny ability to pull together information from different [...]

Here is an interesting letter I received from AARP this morning: If you and I don’t act now – the future of Social Security and Medicare could be decided for us without a public debate. As soon as today your senators will decide whether to give a special commission the [...]

According to AP “Obama Steps Up His Campaign Against Wall Street Banks”. It seems like the first part of President Obama retooling his efforts is to reach out to the people and reign in the institutions people are rightfully directing their anger towards. President Barack Obama stepped up his campaign [...]

Click image to enlarge Keep you doped with religion, and sex and TV; and you think you’re so clever and classless and free; but you’re still f**king peasants, as far as I can see – John Lennon, “Working Class Hero” Who Wants to Be a Revolutionary? Oh, there’s anger out [...]

Click graph to enlarge I have heard many of the political pundits say that if the unemployment pictures does not improve we can expect one or more of the houses of congress to change hands, reverting back to a Republican majority. Not knowing what these predictions were based on I [...]

I know this is hard to imagine but what if the financial industry in a nation conspired to create a dishonest system that looked to everyone else to be a sound and thriving economy but wasn’t? Now suspend your disbelief even further and imagine that out of greed, what such [...]

It really isn’t hard to spot an economic “bubble”, all you have to do is ask yourself, “Where are all the voices of ‘common sense’ telling me is the one place to put my money?” Well, if you won’t take my word for it that gold is the new bubble, [...]

The Conference Board Research Group has released the results of their survey regarding job satisfaction and the results show that 45% of Americans are content with their jobs. The lowest rate of job satisfaction since the study began over twenty-two years ago. The study concludes that workers dissatisfaction with their [...]

The next big issue Congress is addressing is regulation reform.  It is bad enough that there are corporate Democrats that are going to water down most financial regulations.  But the one truly inspired idea is the creation of a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA).  One of the basic reasons [...]

Thanks to a discussion on NPR yesterday, I became aware of a little provision in tax law that in the age of the wealthy consolidating greater wealth, is an abomination. Due to the Bush changes to the Estate Tax(or as the Repub propagandists call it, the “Death” Tax) and because [...]

From Talking Points Memo: Tea Partiers’ Next Target: American Business? The end-all-regulation, my-health-insurance-company-is-just-fine-thanks crowd in the Tea Party movement have found an unlikely target for their next national effort: Corporate America. The Tea Party Patriots group is planning a “National Day of Strike” for Jan. 20, one year to the [...]

RADICAL RIGHT The Billionaires Behind The Hate December 8, 2009 by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Matt Corley, Benjamin Armbruster, Zaid Jilani, Lee Fang, and Alex Seitz-Wald Billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch are the wealthiest, and perhaps most effective, opponents of President Obama’s progressive agenda. They have been looming in [...]

Today the Dow hit a post-crash high, 10510.65. THE RECESSION IS OVER! So get up out of that tent, out from under that overpass and toss that “Will Work For Food” cardboard sign down and howl up at the sky, “I’m glad as hell and I’m going to keep taking [...]

The stock market is over 10,000. Banks are declaring billions in profits. Just one problem. There ain’t no jobs! It is not unusual for jobs to be the last thing that comes back from a recovery…but this is not your grandparent’s recovery. Is it even a recovery at all? In [...]

I think the Fed is being scapegoated to some extent, but like the CIA failures, the financial system collapse did happen on their watch and I support Congress in creating new financial oversight agencies to prevent future financial collapses (to handle “too big to fail” institutions), re-regulate the financial system and [...]

Of course you will not see these headlines on most progressive blogs because it does not fit into the outrage, no change and doom and gloom memes but the House Financial Services Committee voted today to start regulating the types of derivatives that lead to the financial collapse. These new [...]

As Michael Moore’s new film, “Capitalism, A Love Story” is coming out its seems an appropriate time to reflect on the character of American capitalism and how it has usurped social responsibility and democracy in this country. In the remarkable documentary, “The Corporation”, a segment of the film is dedicated [...]

Despite complaints about his ego, filmmaking style and his overexposure in the 2004 elections, Michael Moore remains the most effective, progressive and influential filmmaker out there. Expect the MSM to attack Moore for the hypocrisy and corruption spotlighted in this film, as they did with Sicko and Fahrenheit 911. There [...]