Media

Four years ago, voter turnout was 49 percent -- the highest since 1968. Still, it remains to be seen if voters will come out in droves as they did during the election. To make sure that no avoidable factors -- ranging from intimidation to a lack of a photo ID -- keeps people at home on Nov. 6, five organizations are hitting the ground to do what they can to encourage all groups to get out and cast their ballots.

A new report out by the Citizens for Tax Justice offers further evidence of just how screwed up and porous our corporate tax system has become.

Big companies are making boatloads of money overseas and then often piling it up in tax havens. Which means that not only are they not paying U.S. taxes on these profits -- since taxes can be deferred until cash is brought home -- but nor are they paying taxes to foreign governments.

Helping young people being crushed by their student debt is a nice idea. It's also easier said than done, even when policymakers mean well.

A new report from the Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS) has bad if not suprising news for recent and future grads: average student debt for the class of 2011 rose 5 percent to $26,600 up from $25,250 in 2010. 

TICAS points out that this number could be even higher, since their findings rely on data provided voluntarily by colleges and universities and many declined to report. 

Over a century ago, progressive reformers were deeply worried about how wealthy interests had hijacked American politics, populating state legislatures with cronies who did as they were told and otherwise steamrolled the will of the people.

To level the playing field, reformers worked to create mechanisms for direct democracy through state referendum and ballot initiatives, allowing voters to bypass corrupted political systems.

During a long discussion of energy in last night's presidential debates, never once did either Mitt Romney or President Obama say anything about climate change. Instead, the energy discussion seemed to revolve around who would drill more for oil and gas and who could promote coal the most.

It's hard to know what audience members will ask the candidates in tonight's debate, but here's a prediction: Issues like gay marriage, abortion, crime, and affirmative action will barely come up, if at all.

If I had one question to insert into tonight’s presidential debate, I would ask the candidates what they propose to do about child poverty.

In a single sentence order the Supreme Court today rebuffed a plea by Ohio state officials to close early voting in the final three days before the election. 

This is a big win for democracy in Ohio. Like we've seen around the country, it's been the courts, and for the first time the Supreme Court, that have halted efforts to restrict the vote.