Posting Class Action internships gives me a window into the massive under-use of young adults’ energy in this lousy economy. Even for unpaid internships, we get dozens of bright, motivated students, and even college graduates. And whenever we can afford to offer internships with small stipends, the applications come in by the hundreds. These applicants have an amazing array of skills and experience to offer employers. What kind of sick economy wouldn’t have decent summer jobs and good entry-level jobs for all these young idealists?
Upsides of sky-high youth unemployment
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012Who should we REALLY be wary of?
Sunday, December 11th, 2011The subject line said: “Tis the Season for Criminals”; then the body of the email, written in large threatening capital letters, said, “REMEMBER, DESPERATE PEOPLE DO DESPERATE THINGS, SO BE VERY WARY WHEN YOU ARE OUT IN PUBLIC……” What follows is my response, because I had this incredible experience this morning.
CEOs Rewarded For Dodging Taxes
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011As the Super Congress eyes trillions in budget cuts that will undermine the quality of life for most Americans, here’s a stunning fact to contemplate: Twenty-five hugely profitable U.S. companies paid their CEOs more last year than they paid Uncle Sam in taxes.
Verizon Strike: A Teachable Moment?
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011Why Health Care Strikes Should Demand “Health Care For All,” Not Just “Hands Off My ‘Middle Class’ Benefits”
Misconception of debt
Thursday, July 21st, 2011Like many college students, I recently took out my first loan for college. Although not a significant amount, it was still more than I’ve ever had in my own personal bank account. My loan was the first money I’ve ever borrowed; I don’t even own a credit card. Unlike my mother, who is already worried about paying it back, I’m not as concerned with repayment. It’s not that I’m irresponsible; I just think that by the time I have to make payments it won’t be that big of a deal. I had assumed that I was alone in this feeling until I stumbled across a study conducted at Ohio State University based on a survey indicating that the more debt individuals age 18 to 27 have, the more empowered they feel.
Moving the Bar
Monday, June 27th, 2011At first glance, I thought that it was just another article about disappointing test scores.
Race Forward: Children, Wealth, and the Future of our Economy
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011For many children today, the door to economic opportunity is being shut, and they may never realize the “American Dream.” Of these kids, it is children of color that are most at risk since they are more likely to live in the most economically vulnerable households from birth to adulthood.
Who represents the working class in Massachusetts?
Friday, April 29th, 2011The vote to take away public employee health care bargaining rights took place thirty minutes before midnight, on April 26th, while most of the state slept, oblivious to the event. The scene would have brought a big smile to the face of Wisconsin’s Republican Governor Scott Walker. But this wasn’t Madison. This was Boston, and the protagonists weren’t members of the GOP, but the Democratic House leadership in allegedly progressive Massachusetts.
Caregiver Unions: Much Needed But Most Vulnerable Now
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011Often overlooked amid the current attacks on long-established public sector unions around the country is the threat to recently organized workers, who are the lowest paid and most badly treated. When “regular” state workers are under attack, it’s not easy to improve the conditions of a contingent workforce of direct care providers at the bottom tier of public employment, such as home health care aides and child care workers.
Modern-day Pirates: the Republicans vs. the Public Sector
Monday, February 21st, 2011So, let’s be clear: it’s not about the budget. As the facts have emerged in the 2011 Wisconsin crisis with Governor Scott Walker’s move against public service unions, it is not about Wisconsin lacking funds. There is no credible way that Walker and his clique can argue that eliminating a worker’s right to collective bargaining saves the state a dime. Each time that this is raised it becomes a laughable moment.
After Wisconsin: Stop the Corporate Tax Dodgers
Sunday, February 20th, 2011The protests in Wisconsin could easily spread. While not every governor will recklessly attack collective bargaining, all states are facing major budget constraints.
When you’re rich and when you’re poor
Tuesday, January 25th, 2011When you’re rich and lose money on a leveraged investment, you are a victim of the bad economy and deserved to be bailed out. When you’re poor and lose money on a risky investment, you’re a financially incompetent yahoo who chases get rich quick schemes.
What was the most classist comment of 2010?
Sunday, January 2nd, 2011It was a bumper year for callous, elitist politicians and CEOs spouting off in public. Cast your vote for one of these doozies, or add another 2010 classist comment to this list:
Chickens in Every Pot? Or Bentleys in a Few Garages?
Monday, November 29th, 2010Lawmakers are really in a bind over whether to let the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy expire at the end of this year. After all, they owe those millionaires a lot after all those campaign contributions this fall.
It’s Not Butter: The Other Tax Spread
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010Congress and the White House are wrangling over the future of the Bush tax cuts, which expire this year. Much has been written about how the 2001 and 2003 cuts widened the gap between the very wealthiest 2% of Americans and the middle and working classes. But far too little notice has been paid to the other spread caused by the tax cuts: the growth of the economic divide between white Americans and people of color in the 2000′s.
Gisele Bundchen’s clueless classist comments
Monday, September 27th, 2010Supermodel Gisele Bundchen was quoted in the September Harper’s Bazaar UK as saying, “There should be a worldwide law, in my opinion, that mothers should breastfeed their babies for six months.”
Faking your way into a working-class job
Friday, June 4th, 2010Laid-off professionals are “dumbing down” their resumes to avoid being rejected as overqualified when applying for jobs outside their former field, reported the Boston Globe. Job seekers are deleting graduate degrees and high-level jobs, and revising titles (for example, from Marketing Director to Marketing Manager).
