Working Life

   Last month, I wrote about a welcome change in the laws covering union organizing in airlines and railroads. Looks like this is causing some action: Delta Air Lines Inc., on the heels of last month’s federal rule change making it easier for aviation workers to organize, is facing a stepped-up recruitment campaign by labor […]

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   Here we go, another example of a lack of courage: Days after a federal judge blocked his efforts to furlough half the state work force, Gov. David A. Paterson is drafting a plan that would lay off thousands of government workers at the beginning of next year, a move officials say is necessary to […]

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   This was predictable: This year is shaping up to be even worse than last for the millions of high school and college students looking for summer jobs. State and local governments, traditionally among the biggest seasonal employers, are knee-deep in budget woes, and the stimulus money that helped cushion some government job programs last […]

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   If Democrats wonder why more than half the people in the country think that the party of FDR cares more about the concerns of big corporations, no need to look any further than this: House leaders cut the cost of the package by roughly $44 billion, in part to address complaints from Blue Dog […]

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 My refrain, whenever I hear about the "deficits", is very simple: we have plenty of money. We are the richest nation in human history. The problem is our priorities. And this week it boils down to this: do we want war or do we want teachers who will make our kids ready for the future? […]

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   Three trillion dollars. Think about all the state budgets that could be helped with that money. The teachers, firemen, police officers whose jobs could be preserved. The millions of people we could put back to work during the greatest economic crisis we have faced in generations. Not to mention the lives that could be […]

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   Health care gets teed up and…the people get half-a-loaf. An economic crisis requiring at least $1 trillion to create jobs–and the people get half-a-loaf. And, ladies and gentlemen, just to keep us consistent, financial reform…half-a-loaf.    Here’s the explanation:  

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   The financial "reform" bill is still not law. One reason is the failure to cobble together enough votes to move past a filibuster. Russ Feingold explains his opposition: Mr. Feingold said he wanted to reimpose Depression-era rules that would bar traditional banks from affiliating with investment firms, among other things. "We need to eliminate […]

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   Chris Dodd is heading into retirement. On the way out, he tried to weaken a key part of the financial reform package but ruffled a few feathers: His amendment would have delayed for two years any ban on derivatives trading and given the Treasury Secretary the ability to quash the proposal outright. Liberal Democrats […]

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   In the dysfunctional world of politics, games are played that no normal person would think makes sense. Right now, one of those games is being played out in astonishing fashion: Congress is being told that if it wants money for teachers, Haiti reconstruction and other good social needs, it has to vote for billions […]

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