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Dig deep enough into the new jobs data for May and you'll find this startling figure: 116 million. That's the number of Americans who were employed at full-time jobs last month. 

Why is that so startling? Because the total potential U.S. labor force is 245 million people. 

It's often said that Americans are ideologically conservative but operationally liberal. While we don't like big government in theory, we want all the services it provides -- and then some.

Obamacare may be the best illustration of this maxim yet.

Polls have consistently found the public sharply divided over the Affordable Care Act writ large -- with slightly more Americans against the law than for it. And polls have just as consistently found that Americans back the individual provisions of the law. 

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has just released the third iteration of its Better Life index with a fantastic data visualization tool that allows you to compare the 34 existing member countries based on 11 different indicators of human well-being: material conditions including housing, income, and jobs and quality of life conditions including community, education, environment, c

Here’s a very real impact of climate change: as hurricane season approaches, New York City- a region that never had to worry about hurricanes before- is assessing whether it would be ready for another storm. Prior to 2011, the city never worried about hurricanes because it was well outside hurricane paths. After Irene in 2011 and Sandy in 2012, that reality has changed.

Kansas governor Sam Brownback is on a mission to repeal income taxes, and he seems to be suceeding, mostly by claiming to be supporting small businesses and families -- while at the same time draining the very programs, like education and health care, that the state depends on for its well-being and future prosperity. 

With a contracting retirement income system, rapidly rising health-care costs, and the prospect of long-term care expenses, one would have thought that people approaching retirement would be paying off their credit card debt and closing out their mortgages.  But surveys suggest that people are entering retirement with more debt than ever before and relying on borrowing to cover expenses in retirement.

Around the world, wealthy countries might be creating jobs but they’re worse jobs that pay lower wages and offer fewer benefits. In the United States, one of the largest employers of low-wage workers is Walmart. About 1.4 million Americans work for Walmart — the company has about two million employees worldwide. And the average hourly wage for a Walmart associate? An estimated $8.81 an hour.

Worried about your ability to set money aside for retirement? You should also worry about what happens to the money you do manage to put away. According to a report from Demos, the typical two-earner family with an employer-sponsored account will end up paying some 30 percent of its retirement nest egg – a total of $155,000 – to Wall Street money managers in 401(k) fees and charges.

Imagine that you're trying to make an extremely complicated decision. You want to understand the facts and do the right thing. At one ear, you have someone -- perhaps a former colleague -- who whispers you highly detailed advice six times a day, cajoling and pleading. At the other ear, is someone who whispers you advice only once or twice a week.

Who are you more likely to listen to?