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Talking Loud and Saying Nothing

I used to love me some JB. The funk. The precision. The songs: Papa Got a Brand New Bag. Sex Machine. Popcorn. Say it Loud: I'm Black and I

Sep 20, 20208 min read

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THE FIGHT FOR FULL EMPLOYMENT: ARE WE THERE YET?

Iconic figures of the Black freedom movement have long centered good jobs for all at the heart of their understanding of full employment

Feb 155 min read

LISTEN UP: IF YOU'RE ON THE HOOK FOR STUDENT LOAN DEBT, PROJECT2025 PLANS TO TURN UP THE HEAT!

Project2025 proposes to turn up the heat on those owing student loan debt

Oct 10, 20245 min read

WHY YOU CAN GO BROKE BUT UNCLE SAM CAN'T

Uncle Sam, unlike you and me, cannot "run out of money." Unc is an issuer of currency. We're currency users. It's a huge difference!

May 12, 20247 min read

INEQUALITY IN WEALTH: IT'S BOTH A RACE AND CLASS THING

The wealth divide exists between as well as within groups. It's both a race and class thing.

Apr 10, 20245 min read

INFLATION CLOCKS IN AT 3.1%. HERE'S WHY YOU DON'T NEED TO FREAK OUT

The news about inflation is not nearly as bad as some would like you to believe. So, if you're freaking out, stop!

Mar 1, 20245 min read

THE RISK OF EXPERIENCING AT LEAST A YEAR IN POVERTY IS GREATER THAN YOU THINK

Make no mistake about it: Economic vulnerability is a thing and, particularly important, most of us are likely to get a “taste” of it.

Jan 16, 20245 min read

POVERTY IS POLITICAL

Poor people are not impoverished because they're under some "generational curse" that needs to be broken. Poverty is political

Jan 15, 20244 min read

NEEDED: AN ECONOMICS VISION ROOTED IN HUMAN RIGHTS

"The economy" ought to serve people and the planet, not the other way around

Dec 7, 20236 min read

ALL OF US DIE BUT SOME OF US ARE NEVER DEAD DEAD

Milton Friedman, the intellectual OG of the school choice and voucher movement, is dead but far from dead dead

Nov 4, 202310 min read

RECENT JOBS STAT CALLS FOR NEITHER COMPLACENCY NOR CYNICISM

The recent Jobs Report indicates that the labor market is not in shambles. But we're still far from full employment

Oct 16, 20234 min read

YOU MAY NOT KNOW IT BUT I'VE BEEN ON WELFARE FOR DECADES

There's a lot more of us on "welfare" than we recognize or care to admit. And welfare for the well-off is defintely a thing. I ought to know

Oct 9, 20234 min read

YOU GOTTA PAY A PRICE TO BE POOR

One thing's for sure: It ain't cheap being poor.

Oct 2, 20234 min read

DESPITE A RISE IN POVERTY, STATES ARE SITTING ON BILLIONS IN UNSPENT FUNDS MEANT TO AID THE POOR

Child poverty has risen, yet states are sitting on $6 billion in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

Sep 29, 20234 min read

NEW CENSUS STUDY SHOWS CHILD POVERTY IS ON THE RISE

Public policy can push people into or pull people out of poverty. It is created and sustained by political choices.

Sep 20, 20233 min read

THE FIGHT FOR UNIVERSAL, COMPREHENSIVE, AND AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE

Among rich nations, the United States rank near or at the bottom when it comes to the provision of universal, comprehensive, and affordable

Sep 17, 20235 min read

SIX DECADES LATER, THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON'S DEMAND FOR A LIVING WAGE REMAINS UNFULFILLED

The March on Washington demanded a minimum wage that would be equivalent to $20 an hour today

Sep 5, 20234 min read

DO ME A FAVOR AND ASK ABOUT UNDEREMPLOYMENT WHEN THE NEXT JOBS REPORT HITS

The official unemployment rate underestimates the amount of labor market distress. We need to focus on underemployment

Aug 11, 20235 min read

THE RACIAL WEALTH GAP: THE CHASM THAT JUST WON'T CLOSE, PART II

This is the second part covering the findings of a recent study on the racial wealth gap

Aug 3, 20236 min read

FED NEEDS TO STOP CHASING THAT 2% INFLATION TARGET

There's no evidence that a 2% inflation rate is some macroeconomic sweet spot . The FED needs to stop chasing it!

Jul 18, 20235 min read

BLACK WORKERS: CANARIES IN THE COAL MINE?

The recent rise in the Black unemployment rate may be the "work" of the FED taking place

Jul 12, 20234 min read