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But the direction of all my work, at bottom, is toward a new family economy, something I believe we can achieve only by fundamentally reformulating American politics around ideas of community wealth and family economic protection. This is a politics that leverages families and communities against market compulsion using the resources and regulatory power of a conservative or "subsidiary" welfare state-one that supports and protects traditional social structures but does not usurp their functions or alter their God-given purposes.

Yet these reforms still leave the burden of registration on the voter. The holy grail of registration reform remains universal registration. As the Election Protection coalition states in its report on the 2008 election, this would mean a registration system that was automatic, permanent (providing voters an opportunity to update their registration when they changed their name or address, for example), and allows for voters to correct any mistakes on election day.

Millions of Families Experienced Economic Decline Since 2000; Households of Color Hardest Hit

Caleb Gibson, federal affairs coordinator for Demos, a New York-based advocacy group on economic issues, is following the credit bill of rights’ progress and lobbying to include as many consumer protections in it as possible. Here’s his quick analysis of what is in the legislation that’s likely to stay and where the Senate and House will have to compromise to meet President Barack Obama’s Memorial Day deadline.

Today, children of wealthy parents are the ones who disproportionately attend college. Meanwhile, student financial assistance at the federal, state and university level has shifted away from a needs-based approach, leaving low-income and moderate-income students sitting at home.

Eighty-four percent of black households carry credit card debt, compared with 54% of white households, according to Demos, a public policy research organization. More than 90% of black families earning $10,000 to $24,999 a year had credit card debt.

The Electoral College is provided for in the United States Constitution. The filibuster is not. In fact, the word doesn't appear in any of our founding documents. Its derivation is from the Spanish filibustero, meaning "pirate" or "freebooter." In the legislative context, a filibuster is the use of delaying tactics to block legislation. It is a mechanism available only in the Senate.

Teenage Research Unlimited, a youth research firm, reported that about 10 percent of teens own at least one credit card. "Generation Broke," a study by Demos, reported that between 1992 and 2001, debt has risen by 104 percent among 18- to 24-year-olds. Demos is a nonpartisan public policy research and advocacy organization.