Media

National Voting Rights Groups Put Lt. Gov. Guadagno and DHS on Notice for Violations of Federal Law

The most frustrating thing for advocates of a strong public sector is how Americans tend to take government for granted. As Suzanne Mettler showed in The Submerged State, a great many people who have benefitted from government programs don't acknowledge that fact.

A new report from Public Campaign shows what could happen if the Supreme Court deals another blow to campaign finance reform in McCutcheon v. FEC.

It's no secret that the public's approval of Congress has been near an all-time low in recent years. According to Gallup, which has been tracking congressional approval since at least 1974, just 10 percent of Americans said they approved of how Congress was handling its job last August -- the lowest ratings ever recorded. 

Here we go again: Financial markets are plummeting thanks to the threat of a government shutdown and, beyond that, another debt ceiling crisis. One of the great bull markets of recent years is being derailed by a bunch of extreme conservatives in Congress. But Wall Street shouldn't just blame the Tea Party for ruining a good thing. It should blame big donors from its own ranks who are bankrolling groups like the Club for Growth who are also responsible for the crisis.

The drive for deregulation during the 1970s found support among Democrats and Republicans alike. And I don't just mean centrist Democrats, by the way. Many liberal Democrats favored deregulation in the face of evidence that elaborate forms of red tape favored monopoly-like corporations and prevented competition. Many deregulatory proposals were viewed as pro-consumer. 

The Census Bureau has steadfastly resisted calls to end the practice of counting inmates as “residents” of their prisons instead of the cities and towns where they lived and to which they typically return. The bureau’s new director, John Thompson, seems at least open to ending this wrongful practice.

For some recent college graduates, this fall’s back-to-school season marks the beginning of the back-to-living-at-home stage of their lives. But with careful financial planning, that stage doesn’t have to last long, advisers say.

Philadelphia Council authorized a public vote on Bill 130532 last Thursday. The bill amends the city charter to provide better wage protections and benefits for subcontracted city workers. The referendum will appear on the Spring 2014 ballot. Council supported this item unanimously.

According to attorney Steve Masters of JustLaws,