We are changing the conversation around our democracy and economy by telling influential new stories about our country and its people. Get our latest media updates here.
CRANSTON, R.I. — Local residents joined the ACLU of Rhode Island today to sue the City of Cranston, charging that the 2012 redistricting plan for the City Council and School Committee violates the one person, one vote principle of the U.S. Constitution by counting incarcerated people in their prison location as if they were all residents of Cranston.
Ohio is not new to voter suppression. In fact, the swing state might be considered a vanguard, considering its calamities during recent election cycles.
In the last four parts of this series, I have discussed the problems of our current student loan system, the potential for an income-based repayment system, and the difficulties of a graduate tax. This leaves us with another proposal: universal free undergraduate public higher education. [...]
Since the days of Diner’s Club, credit cards have evolved to become a key element of American household finances. When emergency strikes we may not have cash in hand, but with access to credit cards a broken arm, a busted furnace, or a last-minute plane ticket doesn’t have to leave our families vulnerable to insolvency, abusive lending, or the knock of a loan shark on the front door.
ALBANY—Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced new legislation to restore accountability and ensure access to the ballot box by eliminating baseless and intimidating challenges to voter eligibility at the polls on Election Day. Under current law, voters who are challenged at the polls are required to recite an oath affirming their right to vote. The challenger, on the other hand, has no such obligation.
Washington's centrist deficit hawks are both dedicated and well-financed, and they could hardly be better connected. But what exactly do they want? That can be hard to tell, and this lack of a super clear message is striking for a cabal that's otherwise so well organized.
About their dedication: Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, has been slogging away at this issue for over a decade, and Pete Peterson has been on the case for over two decades.
There is nobody like a mom in the low-wage service sector to demonstrate the day-to-day meaning of financial responsibility. But for the large number of households facing stagnant incomes, erratic schedules, and a rising cost of living, making a monthly budget doesn’t guarantee meeting it. When paychecks and savings don’t cover the bills, low- and middle-income households with credit cards often turn to plastic just to get by.