Media

It's disturbing that American schools remain deeply segregated by race more than half a century after Brown v. Board—given all we know about the damaging effects of segregation on kids.

What's even more disturbing, though, is that U.S. schools are more segregated now than they were twenty year ago. If you were to draw a line graph of school integration, it would show years of steady progress starting in the 1960s and then years of blacksliding beginning in the 1990s. 

The odds seem pretty high that a real live economic progressive, namely Bill de Blasio, will become the next mayor of New York City. That would be a big deal, since New York's mayor is a national figure and inequality is arguably our most pressing national problem. As Eric Alterman wrote recently about de Blasio:

The labor market recovery remains fragile, especially for African-Americans.

At this point, it's hardly news that Walmart is a pioneer of modern union-busting. And the revelation that Walmart has illegally disciplined 80 workers since June -- including firing 20 -- for their involvement in union activity is no surprise. 

Here’s another example of how money corrupts the electoral system: a pro-business special interest group has spent almost $7 million on New York City Council races.

Seniors are getting squeezed in so many ways. Healthcare and other basic expenses are rising. Fewer have pensions to supplement their Social Security income in retirement. Low interest rates mean what savings they do have isn’t growing quickly — unless they are willing to invest in higher-risk financial products.

Paying workers more would lead to lower profits and layoffs for America's biggest corporations, right? Not necessarily. 

Critics of a minimum wage hike cite a commonly held belief that forcing low-paying employers such as Wal-Mart to boost compensation would lead to greater economic suffering. Higher labor costs, they argue, would require higher prices, prompting layoffs and more pain.

It's no secret that the employment data released monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is basically a joke because BLS wildly undercounts the number of people who have given up looking for work or otherwise faded from the full-time labor force.