Media

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. 

The National Retail Federation is bearing glad tidings for the upcoming holiday season: America’s stores are expecting solid growth in holiday sales and may hire more than half a million seasonal employees. Non-seasonal employment in the sector is also improving, as retailers, led by clothing and clothing accessories stores, added 9,400 new jobs in September.

Representative Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, sent his second letter today demanding True the Vote reveal their plan to deny eligible voters the right to vote. But True the Vote continues to mislead.

When being the mayor of New York City isn’t enough, it’s time to start playing with the big boys. In 2012, that means starting a Super PAC. Michael Bloomberg is taking his fabled centrism on the road.

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.

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.

Nearly every politician says they want tax reform, but it's hard to imagine many having an appetite for curtailing today's biggest tax expenditures -- particularly the home mortgage interest deduction.

Or maybe that's wrong.