The rationale behind the ban is simple: it’s unfair and useless to use a person’s credit history, which is often inaccurate or misleading, when assessing their job qualifications.
Federal contracting with private vendors supports about two million low-wage private sector jobs, according to Demos, a national research institute, in their study, "Underwriting Bad Jobs." That is "more than the number of low wage workers at Walmart and McDonald's combined."
When discussing race, the conservative argument is best expressed by the famous words of Chief Justice John Roberts: "The best way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." Translation: America has done bad things in its history, but those bad things are gone now, so we should move past those horrors and look forward.
While income is distributed unequally in the country, what few people know is how much more unequally wealth, financial assets and inheritances are distributed.
At the individual level, racial differences have been observed when it comes to accumulating wealth. A study recently published by the public policy organization Demos called “Racial Wealth Gap” found that the wealth gap between Blacks and Whites has grown since the Great Recession. Specifically, it found that White households reported to have 17 times the wealth of Black households.
The Affordable Care Act is probably the most progressive policy Americans born after the Great Society will witness in their lifetimes. It has saved tens of thousands of Americans from premature death and has already insured more than 12 million people. It has already defined Barack Obama’s legacy and will inevitably be at the center of the 2016 election. So why do so many on the left despise it?
When governments use the power of the purse to create good jobs, workers, families, and communities benefit. Strong labor standards raise wages, improve job quality, and expand economic stability—helping build a more equitable economy for all.
Public banks keep public money working for the public. By giving communities control over how public dollars are invested, public banks can reduce costs, expand access to capital, strengthen local economies, and build long-term economic and political power for Black and brown communities.
When we tax extreme wealth and invest the revenue in public goods, we can reduce the racial wealth divide, foster economic security, strengthen democracy, and build a more prosperous economy for everyone.
Universal child care is a win for everyone, supporting economic well-being for families and children, as well as better working conditions for care workers. By investing in care today, we create generational opportunity.
A policy agenda for building a just, inclusive multiracial democracy and economy where everyone has the power to shape the rules that govern their lives.
In 2025, New Mexico became the first state in the country to implement universal child care—a historic milestone that shows what is possible when movements build power over the long term.
