Meet Four Conservative State Supreme Court Justices Thankful For Citizens United

Meet Four Conservative State Supreme Court Justices Thankful For Citizens United: Despite spending nearly half a billion dollars to buy the White House for Mitt Romney, rich conservatives were not able to leverage the Supreme Court’s election-buying decision in Citizens United into a bought-and-paid-for presidency. Yet, in state-level races, where candidates are far [...]/p

Florida Rejects Christian Slater’s Ballot

Florida Rejects Christian Slater’s Ballot: Film star Christian Slater live-tweeted his nightmarish voting process in Florida on Election Day. Even as a celebrity, Slater had to endure the same hours-long lines as other Florida voters. Once he finally made it to the front of the line, Slater was told his DMV registration was out of date and he had to [...]/p

Infrastructure Spending Needed: Century-Old New Jersey Bridge Collapses For Second Time In Four Years

Infrastructure Spending Needed: Century-Old New Jersey Bridge Collapses For Second Time In Four Years: A bridge in Paulsboro, New Jersey collapsed Friday morning, derailing a train carrying highly flammable and carcinogenic vinyl chloride into Mantua Creek. The most recent reports say at least 28 people are having trouble breathing from the spill’s vapors and residents are being evacuated. Local schools are in lockdown. This is the second time in [...]/p

Five Overreactions To Obama’s Fiscal Cliff Proposal

Five Overreactions To Obama’s Fiscal Cliff Proposal: Yesterday, the Obama administration unveiled its proposal to avert the looming fiscal showdown. The plan included $1.6 trillion in increased taxes on the rich over the next decade, $400 billion in savings to be found in Medicare and other social programs, $50 billion in stimulus spending to begin next year, and an end to current [...]/p

Costco Looks Out For Middle Class Workers

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Costco invests in its workers by paying higher wages as well as health benefits.

In Fiscal Cliff Talks, Republicans Recycle Ryan Budget Plan That Voters Rejected

In Fiscal Cliff Talks, Republicans Recycle Ryan Budget Plan That Voters Rejected: Congressional Republicans yesterday leaked the details of President Obama’s initial outline of a deal to avert the so-called “fiscal cliff.” Obama’s proposed package includes $1.6 trillion in revenue, new measures to boost the economy, an extension of both the current payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits, and $400 billion in entitlement cuts. Those cuts are [...]/p

Lloyd Blankfein is the Face of Class Warfare

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders took to the Senate floor Thursday to call out the audacity of corporate-minded millionaires and billionaires, calling them the new "face of class warfare" in the United States.

Wall Street Executive Salaries Skyrocketed After Deregulation

Wall Street Executive Salaries Skyrocketed After Deregulation: Wall Street compensates its CEOs so well, one former executive walked off with $260 million despite crashing his company. Even Wall Street heavyweights have criticized the practice, which has helped widen the nation’s income inequality. According to a new study in Quarterly Journal of Economics, Wall Street’s generous pay began to skyrocket following deregulation. The [...]/p

It’s Not a Fiscal Cliff, It’s an Austerity Crisis | Common Dreams

It’s Not a Fiscal Cliff, It’s an Austerity Crisis | Common Dreams
"Here is the crux of it: Depending on what you throw into the pot, the sum of the expiring Bush tax cuts along with currently mandated spending cuts would equal somewhere between $500 billion and $700 billion in deficit reduction in 2013. That’s more than enough fiscal contraction to throw the U.S. into recession. The tax increases alone would reduce the average family’s take-home pay by more than 6 percent. Because everyone agrees that’s a bad thing, Congress could pass a law, tomorrow, preventing it. Done.

But Congress won’t pass that law. Although the problem may be too much austerity too quickly, most everyone in Washington is insisting that the solution should encompass much, much more. In theory, this crisis should be easily resolved: If you have too much austerity, lighten the load. The reason the austerity crisis has become so messy is that the connection between the problem and its solution has been severed."

Donald Trump Partnership Ruins Macy’s Popularity

Donald Trump Partnership Ruins Macy’s Popularity: The old adage that “all press is good press” might not ring true with department store chain Macy’s. Their recent partnership with conservative billionaire oddball Donald Trump is causing a sudden drop in the brand’s popularity, particularly among women. According to a YouGov Brandindex survey, immediately after the Macy’s-Trump partnership, women steadily became far less [...]/p

Fix The Debt CEOs Shorting Their Employees' Retirement Funds

Fix The Debt CEOs Shorting Their Employees' Retirement Funds
"No wonder conservatives hate public education. It makes it so damn easy to see what they're up to when you know how to do simple arithmetic. Imagine having the audacity to say Social Security is too generous when you're pillaging your own employee pension fund. They're pretty consistent that way! With Pete Peterson behind them, all they have to do is show up and say their lines, and in exchange, Peterson will fund ALEC's legislative wish list. Corporate synergy!"

No, Low Capital Gains Taxes Don’t Boost The Economy

No, Low Capital Gains Taxes Don’t Boost The Economy: If the Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire on schedule at the end of the year, the capital gains tax will increase from 15 percent to 20 percent. President Obama has called for allowing the capital gains tax, as well as the tax for dividends, to increase only on income in excess of $250,000. [...]/p

Barack Obama '51 percent watch': Romney leads the EV in states that have finished counting!

Barack Obama '51 percent watch': Romney leads the EV in states that have finished counting!
"Obama's popular vote lead is now 4,501,774 votes, or 3.52 percent."

ALEC's Economic Policies Do More Harm Than Good, New Report Shows

ALEC's Economic Policies Do More Harm Than Good, New Report Shows
"ALEC's economic policies are largely the brainchild of the "father of supply-side economics," Arthur Laffer, promulgated with the release of the annual Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index (RSPS) report. The most recent (fifth) edition was published in July 2012. ALEC's and Laffer's recommendations to promote economic growth include the reduction or abolition of progressive taxes, fewer investments in education and other public services, a smaller social safety net, and weaker or non-existent unions."

Republican Economic Lies Exposed

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Rich CEOs aim to shift $134 billion in tax payments onto poor and middle-class Americans

Tax the Rich, Take Your Hands Off Medicare: Overwhelming US Majority | Common Dreams

Tax the Rich, Take Your Hands Off Medicare: Overwhelming US Majority | Common Dreams
"A large majority of US citizens would like to see higher taxes on the rich and oppose cuts to Medicare as an answer to the US deficit, according to a poll released Wednesday by theWashington Post and ABC News."

Goldman Sachs' Global Coup d'e tat

Thom Hartmann takes a look at the enormous power Goldman Sachs has amassed around the world.

What Happens If Labor Dies? | Alternet

What Happens If Labor Dies? | Alternet
"When unions vanish, ordinary Americans lose their right to bargain collectively for their pay and benefits. Even those who have never bargained collectively will feel the loss. Some years ago, when unions were big enough that their effect on the larger economy could be measured, Princeton economist Henry Farber concluded that the wages of nonunion workers in industries that were 25 percent unionized were 7.5 percent higher than they’d be if their industry were union-free. When unionized companies were common, firms that were nonunion had to mimic the wages and benefits of their unionized counterparts for fear that their employees would leave or, worse, organize. That was certainly the practice at General Electric and other largely nonunion giants."

Sen. Dick Durbin Says Social Security Should Not Be Part of Any Fiscal Deal

Sen. Dick Durbin Says Social Security Should Not Be Part of Any Fiscal Deal
"Anyone who's paying attention knows that Social Security DOES NOT add one red cent to the federal deficit. So it's nice to finally some Democrats are speaking out against including Social Security in any talks for a fiscal cliff solution."

Grayson: Walmart is ‘the largest recipient of public aid in the country’

CEOs Try to Shred the Safety Net While Pigging Out on Corporate Welfare

CEOs Try to Shred the Safety Net While Pigging Out on Corporate Welfare
"A gang of brazen CEOs has joined forces to promote economically disastrous and socially irresponsible austerity policies. Many of those same CEOs were bailed out by the American taxpayer after a Wall Street-driven financial crash. Instead of a thank-you, they are showing their appreciation in the form of a coordinated effort to rob Americans of hard-earned retirements, decent medical care and relief for the poorest."

Boehner slams door on proposal to stop holding middle-class tax cuts hostage

Boehner slams door on proposal to stop holding middle-class tax cuts hostage
"The key thing that this reveals is that Republican rhetoric about revenue is nothing but hot air. They can talk until they are blue in the face about being willing to accept revenue, but unless they stop holding everything hostage for Bush's high-income tax cuts, they haven't actually done anything meaningful. Remember, under current law, Bush's tax cuts on income above $250,000 per year will expire on December 31. Extending them past that point would represent a new tax cut."

Greetings from Crazyland! 10 Instances of Fox Nation's Departure from Reality | Alternet

Greetings from Crazyland! 10 Instances of Fox Nation's Departure from Reality | Alternet
"Fox Nation is a website integral to the Fox news family. And their abuse of reality and truth is truly breathtaking."

Corrections Corporation of America Used in Drug Sweeps of Public School Students

Corrections Corporation of America Used in Drug Sweeps of Public School Students
"An unsettling trend appears to be underway in Arizona: the use of private prison employees in law enforcement operations."

The Top 4 Whoppers Norquist Tells To Keep Republicans From Defecting

The Top 4 Whoppers Norquist Tells To Keep Republicans From Defecting: The anti-tax zealot uses his ubiquitous presence on cable TV, radio, and in print to publicly pressure Republicans from compromising on a balanced measure that includes increased revenue and spending cuts, using various scare tactics to keep the GOP in line. But his claims — which he dutifully reiterates in every media appearance — are often divorced from reality.

For Scott Walker, Walls Are Closing In

For Scott Walker, Walls Are Closing In
"According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the last player in the Walkergate case is his right-hand man, Tim Russell, who just reached a plea deal with prosecutors over his alleged embezzlement of funds from a veterans group."

GOP on post- election course correction

Rachel Maddow reports on what Republican leaders are saying they learned from the GOP's major 2012 losses, and what Republican lawmakers are actually doing that completely contradicts the rhetoric from the beltway.

Without Labor Protections, Domestic Workers Earn Low Wages And Receive No Benefits

Without Labor Protections, Domestic Workers Earn Low Wages And Receive No Benefits: America’s domestic home help workers, most of them female minorities, earn low wages and often receive no retirement or health benefits because they lack basic labor protections, according to a first-of-its-kind survey of more than 2,000 domestic workers in 14 American cities. The report from the National Domestic Workers Alliance and affiliated groups found that [...]/p

Grover Norquist, Enemy of the State? | Alternet

Grover Norquist, Enemy of the State? | Alternet
"Is it possible that Grover Norquist, the multi-millionaire K-Street lobbyist long funded by billionaires, is an enemy of the state? Pretty strong language, but consider that he has connived over the years to get hundreds of members of Congress to violate their own oath of office by pledging a higher oath to keep billionaires' taxes low than their pledge to the Constitution itself."

Why Even a Deal on the Budget is Bad for the American Economy | Alternet

Why Even a Deal on the Budget is Bad for the American Economy | Alternet
"Looking at the latest US data, business sentiment and capital spending have been eroding, and given the lagged impact of capital expenditure, that trend looks set to continue for the next few months. Against that, a number of consumer sentiment indicators remain upbeat and housing looks like it is in a firmly established uptrend, after a 5 year bear market.  In fact, the existing home inventory to sales ratio is as low as it ever gets, and that is with still very depressed sales. If sales pick up further, given low inventories and with new housing starts still below the replacement rate, home prices could lurch forward.

That said, the markets have been fairly upbeat given the rising perception of a deal to avert the US falling off the ‘fiscal cliff’."

Employers Want Highly-Trained Workers At Manual Labor Wages

Employers Want Highly-Trained Workers At Manual Labor Wages
"You may wonder if it was always this way, that it was the job of the taxpayers to provide job-ready employees for the sainted job creators. Let me tell you a little story."

How Increasing Infrastructure Spending Provides A Major Boost To Our Economy

How Increasing Infrastructure Spending Provides A Major Boost To Our Economy: The United States has a massive infrastructure deficit, with independent analysts finding that the country could need as much as $2 trillion in immediate investments just to bring its infrastructure up to date. With the economy recovering slowly and our nation’s roads and bridges crumbling, a new paper from the San Francisco Federal Reserve found [...]/p

Fox News Abruptly Ends Interview After Guest Calls Out The Network For Hyping Benghazi Scandal

Fox News Abruptly Ends Interview After Guest Calls Out The Network For Hyping Benghazi Scandal: Tom Ricks, author and Pulitzer prize winner who has reported for the Washington Post, lambasted Fox News’s coverage of the Benghazi attacks in an interview with the conservative network on Monday. Ricks, who has written extensively on the American military, called the Fox an “operating as a wing of Republican Party” that “hyped” the Benghazi [...]/p

Mitt Romney '47 percent watch': 47!

Mitt Romney '47 percent watch': 47!
"So what drama is left? Well, if Obama surpasses 51 percent, he'll be just the fourth president in the last 100 years to do so twice, and the last since Ronald Reagan. That shouldn't be a problem given what's left to be counted."

5 Obscenely Rich People Who Should Stop Whining About Taxes (and Listen to Warren Buffett) | Alternet

5 Obscenely Rich People Who Should Stop Whining About Taxes (and Listen to Warren Buffett) | Alternet
" Buffett slams the notion that the wealthy would stop investing if taxes went up on them, writing that we should “forget about the rich and ultrarich going on strike and stuffing their ample funds under their mattresses if — gasp — capital gains rates and ordinary income rates are increased"."

Romney's 47 Percent Chickens Come Home to Roost

Romney's 47 Percent Chickens Come Home to Roost
"As the final 2012 vote tallies come in from all over the country, it's clear that Barack Obama didn't just squeak by, but will win by over three percentage points, leaving Mitt Romney with 47 percent of the popular vote."

Florida Republicans Admit Voter Suppression Was The Goal Of New Election Laws

Florida Republicans Admit Voter Suppression Was The Goal Of New Election Laws: Floridians endured election chaos and marathon voting lines this year, largely thanks to reduced early voting hours, voter purges, and voter registration restrictions pushed by Republican legislators. In an exclusive report by the Palm Beach Post, several prominent Florida Republicans are now admitting that these election law changes were geared toward suppressing minority and Democratic [...]/p

To boost the economy and the retail industry, raise retail wages

To boost the economy and the retail industry, raise retail wages
"Low-wage employers and Republican politicians would share an objection to this: They'd claim it would hurt businesses, causing them to hire fewer workers or even lay people off. But that doesn't take account of the fact that poor people don't have money to spend; if retail workers at or near the poverty line get a raise, that money will go toward meeting basic needs they haven't been able to cover. That means a boost to the economy in general and the retail industry in particular."

The $250,000 Question: Poll Shows Obama’s Tax Plan Is Widely Misunderstood | Common Dreams

The $250,000 Question: Poll Shows Obama’s Tax Plan Is Widely Misunderstood | Common Dreams
"Here’s the Obama plan in brief. The Bush tax cuts would be extended for households with an annual income under $250,000 (or $200,000 for individuals), but the tax cuts would expire on any income above $250,000. That means, for example, if you make $300,000, your tax rate would rise a few percentage points, to the Clinton-era rates, but only on the portion above $250,000; in this case, only on $50,000. Bottom line: no one—not a billionaire, not someone making $251,000—would have to pay more taxes on that first $250,000.

There’s a widespread misconception, however, and it’s causing a lot of unnecessary fear. It’s the faulty belief that if your income is above $250,000, you’d have to pay the higher rates on all your income, as if you were suddenly being moved entirely into a higher tax bracket. That is wrong."

3 Right-Wing Lies About Rich People and Taxes -- Debunked | Alternet

3 Right-Wing Lies About Rich People and Taxes -- Debunked | Alternet
"In an effort to discredit President Obama's plan to increase taxes on the wealthy, conservative media outlets have pushed a number of myths to suggest that a large number of Americans will be negatively affected. In reality, only a small percentage of taxpayers would be affected by Obama's proposals."

Media Present GOP’s Romney-Like Proposal On Revenue Increases As ‘Big Concession’

Media Present GOP’s Romney-Like Proposal On Revenue Increases As ‘Big Concession’: Since voters rejected Mitt Romney’s $5 trillion tax plan and President Obama won re-election earlier this month, Republicans have expressed interest in raising revenue to avert the coming fiscal cliff. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) immediately signaled that they are open to raising revenue and prominent Senators Lindsey Graham [...]/p

Walmart is downplaying it, but Black Friday protests were historic

Walmart is downplaying it, but Black Friday protests were historic
"Context matters. Walmart wants us to think of the context of its vast numbers of employees who didn't strike. That's a real context. But so is the fact that history was made in Octoberwhen Walmart workers staged a rolling series of one-day strikes, the first such strikes in Walmart's 50-year history. The Black Friday actions made history again, and they made it bigger. The question is whether this is the peak of worker activism at Walmart, or just the beginning."

Glenn Beck Has the Paranoid Conspiracy World Cowering with "Agenda 21" | Alternet

Glenn Beck Has the Paranoid Conspiracy World Cowering with "Agenda 21" | Alternet
"The point is, this latest scheme by the Corporate Elite to scare the hell out of all of us with Agenda 21 is just like every other scare tactic by the Corporate Elite – it's meant to distract us. It's a sleight-of-hand technique to keep us focused on bogeymen, while their ranks of Texas oilmen, outsourcing CEOs, and Wall Street banksters carry out the true destruction of the United States of America: the pillaging of the Middle Class at home and the construction of a WTO-style one-world corporate government to promote unfettered capitalism and free trade everywhere on the planet.

And in the process, useful quacks like Glenn Beck and Field Searcy can make a lot of money feeding the paranoid, Fox News-watching masses their latest conspiracy theories."

Hostess Employee Tells All About CEO Gutting Pensions, Pay Scales

Hostess Employee Tells All About CEO Gutting Pensions, Pay Scales
"This is only the tip of the iceberg. As equity funds have taken more and more control of companies, they have also robbed more and more employees of a living wage, their pensions, and more. One need only point to how bankruptcy laws were rewritten to understand how Hostess investors managed to make a killing and protecttheir investment at the expense of their employees, who paid for it with their hard-earned dollars.

There ought to be a law against that."

Only 3.6% Of 1% Are Entrepreneurs, And Other Useful Info

Only 3.6% Of 1% Are Entrepreneurs, And Other Useful Info
"According to both Marketwatch and economist Edward Wolff, over 90 percent of the assets owned by millionaires are held in a combination of low-risk investments (bonds and cash), personal business accounts, the stock market, and real estate. Only 3.6 percent of taxpayers in the top .1% were classified as entrepreneurs based on 2004 tax returns. A 2009 Kauffman Foundation study found that the great majority of entrepreneurs come from middle-class backgrounds, with less than 1 percent of all entrepreneurs coming from very rich or very poor backgrounds."

After the $6 Billion Election, Calls for Subpoenas and Amendments

After the $6 Billion Election, Calls for Subpoenas and Amendments
"Now that the most expensive election in history is over, an increasing number of Americans are demanding action to reduce the influence of money and corporations in our political system -- and reformers are offering solutions."

While Germany Is Headed for 80% Renewable Energy, We're Getting Left in the Dust | Alternet

While Germany Is Headed for 80% Renewable Energy, We're Getting Left in the Dust | Alternet
"When you think of places with great potential for solar energy, what comes to mind? Maybe the American Southwest, perhaps the Middle East. What probably doesn’t come to mind is Germany — and yet Germany is leading a global revolution in renewable energy, with solar playing a key part.

In the U.S., we now get 6 percent of our energy from renewables, which is exactly where Germany was in 2000. And then it passed the Renewable Energy Act and jumpstarted a movement known as Energiewende. Twelve years later, Germany gets over 25 percent of its energy from renewables and it is surpassing all of its benchmarks to be 80 percent renewable-powered by 2050."

With Biggest Strike Against Biggest Employer, Walmart Workers Make History Again | Common Dreams

With Biggest Strike Against Biggest Employer, Walmart Workers Make History Again | Common Dreams
"For about twenty-four hours, Walmart workers, union members and a slew of other activists pulled off the largest-ever US strike against the largest employer in the world."

Taming the Walmart Bully | Common Dreams

Taming the Walmart Bully | Common Dreams
"Walmart is notorious for forcing small retailers out of business, pushing suppliers to bankruptcy, depressing labor conditions and paying employees the barest minimum wage. And Walmart is a committed union buster – when workers in the USA and Canada tried to organize, Walmart closed entire stores to avoid setting a precedent. Now . . . finally . . . there's some blowback across the country, inspired by the workers at Walmart warehouses in southern California."

Walmart Workers Protest For Better Wages And Benefits On Black Friday

Walmart Workers Protest For Better Wages And Benefits On Black Friday: Workers at Walmart stores across the country are protesting the national retailer’s low wages and poor working conditions in an effort to raise public awareness about how the company treats its employees on the busiest shopping day of the year. The strikes, which began earlier this month, are the first in the 50 year history [...]/p

6 Reasons to Be Thankful About the Economy Today - The Atlantic

6 Reasons to Be Thankful About the Economy Today - The Atlantic
"U.S. housing is on the mend. It took four years, but the long swoon in housing has come to an end. Every housing market metric - new sales, new permits, existing home sales, housing starts and prices - has shown steady and consistent improvement over the past few months."

Walmart Retaliates Against Black Friday Activists | Alternet

Walmart Retaliates Against Black Friday Activists | Alternet
"With its own workers standing up against poverty wages and exploitation, Walmart is siccing the cops on past and present employees, allegedly on false pretenses."

6 Reasons the Fiscal Cliff is a Scam | Alternet

6 Reasons the Fiscal Cliff is a Scam | Alternet
"Stripped to essentials, the fiscal cliff is a device constructed to force a rollback of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, as the price of avoiding tax increases and disruptive cuts in federal civilian programs and in the military.  It was policy-making by hostage-taking, timed for the lame duck session, a contrived crisis, the plain idea now unfolding was to force a stampede."

Walkout on Wal-Mart: Black Friday. Boycott Wal-Mart. Support Workers.

Walkout on Wal-Mart: Black Friday. Boycott Wal-Mart. Support Workers.
"Please consider supporting the Wal-Mart Strikers Food Fund"

ThankProgress: 10 Things Progressives Can Be Thankful For

ThankProgress: 10 Things Progressives Can Be Thankful For: Following a long presidential campaign full of policy battles and disagreements, progressives have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. Here are 10 things we can all celebrate: We are thankful for the millions of Americans serving our country at home and abroad. This includes 1.4 million Armed Services members, 80,000 AmeriCorps members, [...]/p

The GOP's Voter Suppression Strategy | The Nation

The GOP's Voter Suppression Strategy | The Nation
"After the 2010 election, in more than a dozen states Republicans passed voting restrictions aimed at reducing the turnout of Obama’s “coalition of the ascendant”—young voters, African-Americans and Hispanics. The strategy didn’t work as intended. Ten major restrictive voting laws were blocked in court over the past year, and turnout among young, black and Latino voters increased as a share of the electorate in 2012 compared with 2008. The youth vote rose from 18 to 19 percent, and the minority vote increased from 26 to 28 percent; both went heavily for Obama."

Why Does The Working Class Have To Pick Up The Pieces Caused By Wall Street & Tea Party Deficit Hawks?

Why Does The Working Class Have To Pick Up The Pieces Caused By Wall Street & Tea Party Deficit Hawks?
"Are you sick and tired of listening to the Beltway villagers frame our economic plight as the end of the year looms? Whenever a Democratic politician comes out and says that we should let things play out until after January 1, and then start bargaining, they freak out. They have completely surrendered to the disaster-capital Republicans and are trying to help them force major cuts in the social safety net for all working class Americans, all in the name of a greedy Wall Street along with much-needed backup from the Tea Party Birchers."

The Truth About Raising The Social Security Retirement Age

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Ezra Klein, filling in for MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell this Tuesday evening, ended this segment responding to Goldman Sachs CEO, Lloyd Blankfein's assertion that the Social Security retirement age should be raised with a question that we all already know the answer to

Five Obamacare Provisions To Be Thankful For

Five Obamacare Provisions To Be Thankful For: After clearing significant hurdles over the past year — including repeated repeal votes in Congress, a Supreme Court challenge, and a presidential election — the future of President Obama’s landmark health reform law is finally secure. Now that it’s here to stay, Americans can expect to reap significant benefits as the Affordable Care Act continues [...]/p

A Thanksgiving Reminder That America Alone Doesn’t Guarantee Time Off For Vacations Or Holidays

A Thanksgiving Reminder That America Alone Doesn’t Guarantee Time Off For Vacations Or Holidays: Today, many workers at the nation’s largest retail stores, including Walmart and Target, will have to go to work instead of spending the entirety of the Thanksgiving holiday with their families. Many retailers have decided that Black Friday, the biggest retail day of the year, now needs to start on Thursday, despite workers complaints. Having [...]/p

Walmart and Black Friday protests | Common Dreams

Walmart and Black Friday protests | Common Dreams
"hey've finally had enough. After years of financial and emotional exploitation, Walmart workers, for the first time in the corporation's 50-year history, are striking on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States. Workers will make history tomorrow by taking part in over 1,000 protests and civil disobedience actions across the country, from Richmond, California, to Miami, Florida."

Why You Shouldn’t Shop at Walmart on Friday (and Why the Strike is Good for the Economy) | Common Dreams

Why You Shouldn’t Shop at Walmart on Friday (and Why the Strike is Good for the Economy) | Common Dreams
"A half century ago America’s largest private-sector employer was General Motors, whose full-time workers earned an average hourly wage of around $50, in today’s dollars, including health and pension benefits"

PERRspectives: Walmart Owners Look to Slash Federal Tax Payments

PERRspectives: Walmart Owners Look to Slash Federal Tax Payments
"Black Friday is the single biggest shopping day of the year. And this Friday, all eyes will be on Walmart, the nation's single biggest retailer and employer. But while the planned protests at 1,000 of the chain's 4,000 locations will keep the focus on Walmart's below-industry standard pay to its 1.3 million associates, the company's owners are actively working to reduce their tax bill as well."

Ingredients for a union-made Thanksgiving

Ingredients for a union-made Thanksgiving
"You can also use the UFCW's smartphone app to locate a nearby union grocery store. Drinking beer? There's a list for that, too."

Macy’s CEO to American People: Drop Dead | Alternet

Macy’s CEO to American People: Drop Dead | Alternet
"Macy’s is a powerful symbol of Thanksgiving, with its festive parade and freakishly large floats. But Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren is part of a group of greedy, unpatriotic CEOs who would like to seize this moment of American hardship and tear the rug out from under hard-working families. Moms, dads, grandparents, kids—he’d like to take a little something from each of you. Especially if you're poor: he’d really like to get into your purses.

Lundgren and a coalition of other big-time CEOs are lobbying Congress to cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security benefits so that they can enjoy tax breaks."

The truth about Walmart wages

The truth about Walmart wages
"Everything Walmart does around wages—from its low starting wages to its huge part-time workforce to its tightly restricted system of raises and promotions to its very claims to being a good employer—is about taking the next step in the race to the bottom, breaking down its workers and making them desperate, driving down the public's understanding of what exactly a good job is. It's time to fight back. Find a Black Friday event near you in the widget at the right."

Can We Help the Would-Be Secessionists Pack?

Can We Help the Would-Be Secessionists Pack?
"The Tea Party folks -- to no one's great surprise -- are not taking their electoral defeat at the hands of a black man lying down. They're threatening to pack up their soccer ball and take it home."

It's Simple: Cutting the Deficit Will Kill Jobs and Hurt Growth; Taxing the Rich Won't | Alternet

It's Simple: Cutting the Deficit Will Kill Jobs and Hurt Growth; Taxing the Rich Won't | Alternet
"Deficit reduction leads us in the opposite direction — away from jobs and growth. The reason the “fiscal cliff” is dangerous (and, yes, I know – it’s not really a “cliff” but more like a hill) is because it’s too much deficit reduction, too quickly. It would suck too much demand out of the economy."

Walmart Tells Management to Threaten Workers Against Striking

Walmart Tells Management to Threaten Workers Against Striking
"And for all their pooh-poohing of the Walmart Black Friday strike, it does look like the suits are getting nervous about how this is playing to their key customer base:"

The Post-Election Myths Spun by Paul Ryan and Other GOP Liars

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the vast disconnect between what actually happened during the 2012 presidential election and the “things people are saying about the election that are not true, but make people feel better to say them anyway.”

Unemployment Insurance Kept 2.3 Million Americans Out Of Poverty Last Year

Unemployment Insurance Kept 2.3 Million Americans Out Of Poverty Last Year: America’s unemployment insurance program is not as robust as those in many industrialized nations, but the program that is speeding toward massive reductions if Congress doesn’t extend it before the end of the year still kept more than 2 million Americans out of poverty in 2011. According to the National Employment Law Project, which is [...]/p

Farmers Told To Buy Insurance If They Don’t Want To Get Sued By Corporations

Farmers Told To Buy Insurance If They Don’t Want To Get Sued By Corporations: Every year for the past 13 years, biotechnology giant Monsanto Company has sued about 11 farmers per year for patent infringement of their genetically modified corn and soybean seeds. Many of these farmers have had to pay a settlement to the corporation even when their fields were accidentally contaminated with GM seeds from a neighboring [...]/p

Join the Rolling Jubilee: “You Are Not a Loan”

Join the Rolling Jubilee: “You Are Not a Loan”
"This is the idea behind the "Rolling Jubilee" being organized by "Strike Debt", an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Since November 15, 2012, they have raised over $350,000, enough to abolish over $7 million in debt."

Walmart does damage control as Black Friday protests approach

Walmart does damage control as Black Friday protests approach
"If Walmart is so good to its workers, what's with all the gender discrimination lawsuits? Did the union put thousands of women up to falsely claiming discrimination? What about wage theft and safety violations all up and down Walmart's supply chain? Did the union get a wide range of government agencies to fine Walmart and the contractors it tightly oversees for stuff that never happened? For that matter, at Walmart's own stores? In recent years, Walmart has paid hundreds of millions of dollars to settle wage theft charges. Stand with Walmart workers this Black Friday."

Something's Very Wrong When Only the Rich get Richer | Alternet

Something's Very Wrong When Only the Rich get Richer | Alternet
"We’ve all heard plenty of chatter over recent years about the widening gap “between rich and poor.” But what about the gap between rich and middle? This divide seldom ever gets much media play, an inattention that makes no sense. The gap between America’s high-income and middle-income households, after all, has been growing almost as fast as the gap between rich and poor.

The latest evidence: a new income inequality study from two of Washington’s most respected research groups, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute."

Wall Street, Coming to Your Town! (and Destroying It) | Alternet

Wall Street, Coming to Your Town! (and Destroying It) | Alternet
"Yet a closer look reveals that the future is already here. American austerity has largely taken the form of municipal budget crises precipitated by predatory Wall Street lending practices."

Study Finds Latinos Are Least Likely To Have Paid Leave

Study Finds Latinos Are Least Likely To Have Paid Leave: The United States doesn’t have a stellar record on paid employee leave. Indeed, it is one of the few developed countries that has no paid maternity leave requirement. But a new study by the Center for American Progress finds that Latino employees in particular are the least likely to have paid leave or workplace flexibility [...]/p

HHS releases draft rules on key elements of Obamacare, including pre-existing conditions

HHS releases draft rules on key elements of Obamacare, including pre-existing conditions
"This is the stuff health insurance reform was all about, the core regulations that will make health insurance affordable and accessible. They're also the parts of reform that will be most popular and important to the public. This is the stuff Republicans absolutely did not want to see implemented, and the stuff that will make "Obamacare" be as much an appreciated part of the nation's health care system as Medicare."

Fox Airs Pro-Walmart Segment Attacking Black Friday Strike 'Brought to You by Walmart'

Fox Airs Pro-Walmart Segment Attacking Black Friday Strike 'Brought to You by Walmart'
"Walmart has responded to the protests by filing a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that the strikes are illegally being led by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union."

The War On Women Is a Class War | Alternet

The War On Women Is a Class War | Alternet
"Last week the voters delivered their verdict on what has come to be known as "the Republican War on Women": They're against it."

Barack Obama Defeats Ronald Reagan: Economic 'Neoliberalism' Rejected By Voters | Alternet

Barack Obama Defeats Ronald Reagan: Economic 'Neoliberalism' Rejected By Voters | Alternet
"The real story of election 2012 isn't the coalition that re-elected Obama: It's the rejection of Reagan-era 'free-market' policies by the majority of Americans"

The Giant Lie Trotted Out by Fiscal Conservatives Trying to Shred Social Security | Alternet

The Giant Lie Trotted Out by Fiscal Conservatives Trying to Shred Social Security | Alternet
"Trying to convince the public to cut America’s best-loved and most successful program requires a lot of creativity and persistence. Social Security is fiscally fit, prudently managed and does not add to the deficit because by law it must be completely detached from the federal operating budget. Obviously, it is needed more than ever in a time of increasing job insecurity and disappearing pensions. It helps our economy thrive and boosts the productivity of working Americans. And yet the sharks are in a frenzy to shred it in the upcoming “fiscal cliff” discussions."

8 Terrible Bosses Who Screwed Over Their Workers Because Obama Was Re-Elected | Alternet

8 Terrible Bosses Who Screwed Over Their Workers Because Obama Was Re-Elected | Alternet
"Below is a list of some of the employers who are threatening their workers’ job security in the name of Obamacare -- and other bogus Obama-related rationales. (There are a few restaurants you might want to avoid if you care about the health and well-being of low- and middle-class workers.)"

6 Restaurants You Should Avoid If You Don't Want Your Food Cooked By Sick People | Alternet

6 Restaurants You Should Avoid If You Don't Want Your Food Cooked By Sick People | Alternet
"Here's a handy list,  courtesy of Wonkette , of the restaurants you need to avoid if you want to avoid having your food handled by sick people:"

Why Walmart Workers Are Striking On Black Friday

Why Walmart Workers Are Striking On Black Friday: Walmart workers across the country have been striking during the last week, in a buildup to a coordinated walkout on Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving, which is one of the biggest retail days of the year. According to the group Making Change at Walmart, “a thousand store protests are planned in Chicago, Dallas, [...]/p

As Demand For Electric Vehicles Steadily Grows, Tesla Model S Wins 2013 ‘Motor Trend Car Of The Year’

As Demand For Electric Vehicles Steadily Grows, Tesla Model S Wins 2013 ‘Motor Trend Car Of The Year’:  The Tesla Model S, the company’s first full-size sedan, won the 2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year on November 12, garnering a unanimous vote from the panel of judges. This is the first electric car in the 64-year history of the auto industry’s most coveted award. “We’re going [...]/p

Hostess To Pay $1.75 Million In Executive Bonuses After Blaming Unions For Bankruptcy

Hostess To Pay $1.75 Million In Executive Bonuses After Blaming Unions For Bankruptcy: Hostess Brands, the maker of sweet snacks like Twinkies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week, will ask a bankruptcy judge today to approve a plan that will allow it to pay $1.75 million in bonuses to 19 of its executives. Hostess’ decision to file for bankruptcy came amid disputes with its union [...]/p

Florida Lays Off State Workers After Outsourcing Prisoners’ Health Care To A Private Company

Florida Lays Off State Workers After Outsourcing Prisoners’ Health Care To A Private Company: Now that Florida’s Department of Corrections has auctioned off the job of providing state inmates with health services to the highest-bidding companies, Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) is moving ahead with his controversial plan to privatize prisoners’ health care. Since Florida is now locked into a contract with Corizon Healthcare of Nashville, and plans to [...]/p

6 Myths Pushed by FOX News to Ensure Rich Don't Pay Fair Share -- Debunked | Alternet

6 Myths Pushed by FOX News to Ensure Rich Don't Pay Fair Share -- Debunked | Alternet
"Fox News tried to undermine President Obama's tax plan by pushing six debunked tax myths in advance of negotiations on how to avoid a series of automatic tax increases and spending cuts. In reality, Obama's proposal to let tax cuts for wealthy Americans expire will grow the economy and is supported by a majority of Americans."

Ten Numbers the Rich Would Like Fudged | Common Dreams

Ten Numbers the Rich Would Like Fudged | Common Dreams
"Only FOUR OUT OF 150 countries have more wealth inequality than us.

In a world listing compiled by a reputable research team (which nevertheless prompted double-checking), the U.S. has greater wealth inequality than every measured country in the world except for Namibia, Zimbabwe, Denmark, and Switzerland."

VIDEO: GOP’s New Ideas For ‘Compromise’ Are The Same As Their Old Ideas

VIDEO: GOP’s New Ideas For ‘Compromise’ Are The Same As Their Old Ideas: Usually, when a political party decisively loses an election, the expectation is for it to shift its policy proposals closer to those of the victors — both to promote compromise and to acknowledge the preference of the voters expressed at the ballot box. However, the GOP has apparently decided to chart a different course in [...]/p

Subprime Students: How Wall Street Profits from the College Loan Mess | Common Dreams

Subprime Students: How Wall Street Profits from the College Loan Mess | Common Dreams
"Five years after Wall Street crashed the economy by irresponsibly securitizing and peddling mortgage debt, the financial industry is coming under growing scrutiny for its shady involvement in student loan debt."

Walmart Strike: Why the Black Friday Protests Matter to the Future of US Jobs | Common Dreams

Walmart Strike: Why the Black Friday Protests Matter to the Future of US Jobs | Common Dreams
"Walmart is notorious for treating its workers terribly, but this year employees are fighting back by hitting the retailer where it hurts: on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. Walkouts and protests at locations around the country have already started, and a strike is scheduled for Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and the start of the Christmas shopping season."

5 Ways Most Americans Are Blind to How Their Country Is Stacked for the Wealthy | Alternet

5 Ways Most Americans Are Blind to How Their Country Is Stacked for the Wealthy | Alternet
"Mitt Romney said he wasn't concerned about the very poor, because they have a safety net. This is typical of the widespread ignorance about inequality in our country. Struggling Americans want jobs, not handouts, and for the most part they've paid for their "safety net." The real problem is at the other end of the wealth gap. 
How many people know that out of 150 countries, we have the fourth-highest wealth disparity? Only Zimbabwe, Namibia and Switzerland are worse."

Why Rove Failed to Deliver Ohio on Election Day: What Happened in Ohio This Time Around

Why Rove Failed to Deliver Ohio on Election Day: What Happened in Ohio This Time Around
"Curiously, the Ohio Secretary of State's vote tabulation website went down at 11:13pm, as reported by Free Press election protection website monitors, and mentioned by Rove on the news. This was one minute earlier than the time on election night 2004 -- when Ohio votes were outsourced to Chattanooga, Tennessee -- and then the vote flipped for Bush. This isn't just a Free Press claim, but is well-documented by Vanity Fair Contributing Editor Craig Unger in his book Boss Rove."

Did Anonymous stop Karl Rove from Stealing Ohio again?

an article that says the hacker group, Anonymous may have been involved in stopping GOP mastermind Karl Rove from stealing the election in Ohio this year.

Black Friday protest plans are making Walmart nervous

Black Friday protest plans are making Walmart nervous
"Walmart's dismissive statements about the small percentage of workers taking part in the protests are accurate in a literal sense, but the decision to try to use the law to shut the protests down reveals that something bigger than the percentages is going on: this is the first time Walmart has faced such sustained, defiant activism against its abuses of workers."

VIEWPOINT: Republicans Lost Because Voters Rejected Their Economic Vision

VIEWPOINT: Republicans Lost Because Voters Rejected Their Economic Vision: We’re now well into the political aftermath of the 2012 election, and the pattern of destruction is telling. In demographic after demographic, Obama defeated Romney by remarkable margins: 55 percent among women, 60 percent among voters under 30, 71 percent among Hispanic voters, and a stratospheric 93 percent among African-Americans. Rather than a fluke, the [...]/p

Democratic Senator Introduces Bill To Lift Social Security’s Tax Cap, Extend Its Solvency For Decades

Democratic Senator Introduces Bill To Lift Social Security’s Tax Cap, Extend Its Solvency For Decades: Social Security, the government entitlement that provides support to seniors in retirement, the disabled, and other Americans, has long been in the cross-hairs of budget reformers. The program’s trust fund currently won’t be spent out until 2033, and after that it would still pay 75 percent of scheduled benefits. Most of the proposed solutions to [...]/p

Racist Reagan Operatives Behind New Robocall Calling for Obama's Impeachment

Racist Reagan Operatives Behind New Robocall Calling for Obama's Impeachment
"Make no mistake. These are the people who carry the heart and the torch of today's Republican Party. They are not edge cases, but mainstream Republicans doing mainstream Republican things. They have ties to Karl Rove and the neocon right, and ties to Pat Buchanan and the hardcore racist right.

Reagan built that."

Why Income Inequality Has Skyrocketed In The Last 30 Years

Why Income Inequality Has Skyrocketed In The Last 30 Years: American income inequality has skyrocketed over the last 30 years, as compensation for the wealthiest Americans has grown while wages have stagnated for the middle- and lower-classes. Incomes for the wealthiest 20 percent of Americans are now eight times higher than incomes for the bottom 20 percent, according to a study from the Center on [...]/p

Hide the Kids, the Elderly, the Sick & the Poor! Paul Ryan is Headed for the Cliff

Hide the Kids, the Elderly, the Sick & the Poor! Paul Ryan is Headed for the Cliff
"Ideologues like Ryan and wealthy Wall Street financiers like Erskine Bowles are salivating at the "magic moment" posed by the faux crisis (Bowles actually said that). But Bowles-Ryan magic means painful austerity for the rest of us."

Spending vs. Investing...what makes America work?

There's something that every single American family understands, that Conservative budget hawks don't want us to talk about, and that's the difference between spending and investing.