Media

New York City is often ahead of the national game in areas ranging from finance to art and culture, but unfortunately, according a report for the Coalition for the Homeless, it's also leading a national rise in homelessness. The number of people sleeping each night in shelters rose to 50,000 in 2012 the highest in nearly 30 years, and a 19% jump from the previous year. Twenty one thousand of them are children. That's a 22% jump for the children's numbers from 2011. 

What's all the fuss down there in Washington? Reading the news, you might think there's a huge ideological divide between Democrats and Republicans over taxes and the size of government. 

Unfortunately, that's not the case. Mainstream congressional leaders in both parties agree that taxes should be kept near historic lows while government is steadily downsized. 

Consider the new budget plan just released by Senator Patty Murray -- the supposed great Democratic alternative to Paul Ryan's plan. 

Retails sales surged by a solid 1.1 percent last month, and that's being hailed as great news. But great news for who, exactly? 

Given the weak labor market, with millions still unemployed, it is unlikely that higher retail sales and profits will translate into higher wages for retail workers, who make up a growing slice of America's workforce. Instead, those gains are more likely to be reflected in bigger bonuses for executives and higher share values.

More data from the 2012 election is in, and it’s tough to deny that the health of democracy and safety of your voting rights vary widely depending on where you live.

That finding comes through clearly in a new report from Nonprofit VOTE, a nonpartisan group that encourages nonprofits to engage voters. The report parses the latest data on the 2012 elections, and it should be required reading for the legion of state lawmakers considering changes to election laws this year.

In the discussion around our energy future, fossil fuel advocates continually claim that renewables will never be able to meet our power needs. This assertion is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more we choose to invest in fossil fuels over renewable energy, the longer we delay our inevitable transition to a clean energy economy.

As grim as the GOP's long term prospects are demographically, things could still get worse. Like, for instance, Republicans could alienate the one last slice of the population that remains firmly in their camp: old people. 

One of the remarkable -- and depressing things -- about the low-wage economy is how small changes in wages can make a big difference. 

If you're a professional, you probably don't even know how much money you make an hour. But low-wage workers know, down to the penny. And what may seem like small change to wealthier people can make a big difference in their spending power -- which, in turn, affects the econony as a whole. 

The most recent charge in Senator Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) crusade against rising tuition costs was in late February when he criticized then nominee for Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew for the benefits he received from New York University. They totaled $1.4 million over a period of four years.

For fans of conservatives’ favorite teller of “hard truths,” the Path to Prosperity budget proposal released by Rep. Paul Ryan this week must have been a disappointment.