Media

For lawmakers in Washington, the daily chase for money can begin with a breakfast fundraiser in the side room of a Washington restaurant.

At noon, there might be a $500-per-plate lunch with lobbyists in a Capitol Hill town house. The day might wrap up in an arena sky box in downtown Washington, watching a basketball game with donors.

NSA leaker Edward Snowden may have earned $200,000 a year working for Booz Allen, as he claimed. Or maybe he earned $122,000 a year, as the consulting company claims. Either way, we’re talking about a lot of money for a 29-year old systems administrator with a community college degree living in Hawaii.

One by one, the House Financial Services Committee has rubber-stamped industry approved bills that would weaken elements of Dodd-Frank designed to hem in risky derivatives trading.

Edward Snowden has become an instant hero in the progressive world for leaking information about NSA surveillance. Many are comparing him to Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers. 

Imagine, though, if Snowden had leaked a bunch of documents about, say, how HHS was going to use confidential employer payroll data to monitor compliance with the Affordable Care Act. My guess is that Snowden would be seen as a hero on the right, but not the left. 

A new report details how the failure to finalize rules harms the  American people by compromising the safety of food, automobiles, workplaces and protections for investors.

Today, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled his own proposal for public financing of campaigns. The governor’s proposal adds to several other proposals currently under consideration to get money out of the electoral system in the state. After a year of high-profile corruption scandals and arrests, it’s clear that something must be done.

Costco pays its workers wages well-above the industry standard, offering a reported average of $20.89 per hour plus affordable health coverage, vacation time, and a matched 401(k). This investment pays off in terms of a shockingly low rate of employee turnover.

Primary doctors with private practices often argue that they can’t afford to take too many Medicaid patients because of the low reimbursements from the government. These doctors compare themselves to small business owners, and, as one doctor told Fredricksburg’s Virginia’s Free Lance Star, many have to ask themselves, “How much can you take until you have to make the very tough business decision that I can’t do this anymore?”