Economy

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – It is no surprise that flacks for the plutocrats in charge of the US like Nikki Haley are squawking about the report on American poverty just issued by UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston. It throws loads of light on how unequal a society America is, how it is marching rapidly […]

Poverty

Being Poor in an America run by Billionaires and Hemorrhaging War Budgets

Beverly Gologorsky

New York (Tomdispatch.com) – Imagine this: every year during the Great Recession of 2007-2009 there were nearly four million home foreclosures. In that period, with job losses mounting, nearly 15% of American households were categorized as “food insecure.” To many of those who weren’t foreclosed upon, who didn’t lose their jobs, who weren’t “food insecure,” […]

Donald Trump

G7 Views Trump’s US as Rogue State, as France Threatens a “G6” Memo

Juan Cole

Trump’s 17th century mercantilist trade policies are making the United States the skunk at the party at the G7 meet in Quebec on Friday. Trump will skip the session on climate change. Trump has been needling Justin Trudeau, the PM of Canada, and Emmanuel Macron, the French president. Macron is needling back: The American President […]

Inequality

The New American Aristocrats: Growing Inequality threatens Democracy (Atlantic Video)

The Atlantic Youtube Channel

By Matthew Stewart | – – “When it comes to the division of wealth, many Americans believe that the country is split between the 1%, which possesses a significant share of the country’s money, and the 99%, or “the people.” In reality, The Atlantic writer Matthew Stewart argues, 9.9% of the population comprises America’s new […]

Poverty

Seattle Approves Tax on Amazon, Starbucks and Big Firms to Tackle Homelessness

TeleSur

(TeleSur) Seattle is the third U.S. region with highest number of homeless people, but Amazon and Starbucks think the move is hostile toward them. The Seattle city council approved a new “head tax” to its largest businesses, such as Amazon and Starbucks, to help fund homeless emergency services and affordable housing, and companies are not […]

Plutocracy

The Koch Brothers’ secret Coup on behalf of the Billionaire Class

Jim Hightower

The Koch brothers are oil magnates and billionaire GOP funders. They believe that their great wealth entitles them to rule over the many. For decades, they’ve been running a surreptitious assault on the rules that protect the majority of us from their abuse. From whacking our voting rights to busting unions, their intent is nothing […]

Inequality

Why has the GOP grown the Military-Industrial Complex but slashed Human Security?

H. Patricia Hynes

“8 Candidates, 8 Visions for 1st Franklin Seat,” announced the April 17th lead story of my county newspaper in western Massachusetts. Most, if not all, of the basic needs for human security and well being are there in the platforms of four women and four men who are Democratic candidates running for this seat in […]

Banking

A coming Crash? Massive Bank deregulation and a Trump-appointed Fed: What could go Wrong?

contributors

By Nomi Prins | ( Tomdispatch.com) | – – Warning: What you are about to read is not about Russia, the 2016 election, or the latest person to depart from the White House in a storm of tweets. It’s the Beltway story hiding in plain sight with trillions of dollars in play and an economy […]

Education

Who Made Our Students Into Debt Slaves?

contributors

By John Buell | (Informed Comment) | – – Periodically the so- called deficit hawks, a club whose membership includes prominent members of both parties, warn us of the dire consequences of burgeoning government debt. Many propose such harsh remedies as balanced budget amendments. Yet while these warnings and draconian responses are commonplace, one of […]