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The same day that Illinois’ Legislature approved a $160 billion “restructuring” of public workers’ pensions, a federal judge ruled that pension protections in Michigan’s state constitution could be overridden as part of Detroit’s historic bankruptcy. Along with fury from unions, that double blow inspired a new round of “I-told-you-so’s” from pundits — like “Morning Joe’s” Joe Scarborough — who frame Detroit as a morality play about politicians who lack the backbone to force cuts on public employees.

NEW YORK -- In response to the passing of Nelson Mandela, Demos President Miles Rapoport released the following statement: 

"Demos joins all the world in mourning the death, but—much more importantly—celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela.

Once you know something about America's economy, the jobs data released monthly by the government always feels depressing, even when the news is supposedly good, like it was this morning. 

That's because so many of the new jobs that get created in the U.S. today are lousy and don't offer a real path into the middle class. 

Credit cards can be a useful stop-gap until payday, but when paychecks aren’t enough to cover the basics and balances roll over, credit cards become an expensive way to make ends meet.  Past research from Demos shows that 40 percent of indebted low- and middle-income households have used their credit cards as a plastic safety net when incomes, assets, and shrinking public programs did not afford enough to meet basic needs.

The holiday season is upon us. Sadly, the big retailers are Scrooges when it comes to paying their workers. Undergirding the sale prices is an army of workers earning the minimum wage or a fraction above it, living check to check on their meager pay and benefits.

Progressives are starting to worry that President Obama may be more talk than walk when it comes to raising the minimum wage. Again, on Wednesday, the president said, "It's well past the time to raise a minimum wage that, in real terms right now, is below where it was when Harry Truman was in office."

Demos Senior Fellow Wallace Turbeville joins Democracy Now! to discuss the federal judge's ruling that approves the el

President Obama gave an extraordinary speech about inequality yesterday, offering his most in-depth critique yet of why the growing chasm of income and wealth is so bad -- and offering a sweeping agenda for closing that chasm. That agenda included universal pre-K, raising the minimum wage, strengthening retirement systems, bringing back good manufacturing jobs, and more. All good ideas. But here's a question to ponder: Does this agenda square with what the public wants to do about inequality?