Gaming the System—The death of 29 coal miners in Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in April was not exactly predicted when the House Committee on Education and Labor met on February 23—to address a failed safety inspection process. But the industry’s response to tougher regulations that followed a spike in miners’ deaths midway through […]

Read more

The New Financial Economy—In 1948, 56 percent of profits in the U.S. economy derived from manufacturing, while 8.3 percent came from the financial sector. In 2007 (the year the financial collapse began) manufacturing produced 10 percent of profits, while the financial sector produced 26 percent of profits. The $62 Trillion Question—Eighteen months ago, Iowa Democratic […]

Read more

The Facts?—The one-year anniversary of the $787 billion stimulus bill was an opportunity for Republicans to refine one of their big 2010 campaign narratives: The stimulus bill that passed in February 2009 is a failure. “The facts are the facts,” said Minority Whip Eric Cantor at a Heritage Foundation panel discussion. “I have gone so […]

Read more

“Words That Work” “Frankly, the single best way to kill any legislation is to link it to the Big Bank Bailout.” Republican Pollster Frank Luntz —January 2010 Frank Luntz is a political consultant who made his bones on the Contract With America, by which Newt Gingrich’s resurgent Republicans wrested control of the House from the […]

Read more

Fire Sale—Seventy-two million, seven hundred fifty-three thousand, six hundred forty-seven? That’s the dollar amount the “FIRE” sector (finance, insurance, and real estate) has contributed to the 24 members of the Senate Banking Committee since 1989. The 14 Democrats on the committee took in $50,294,559. Committee Chair Chris Dodd received $13,985,872, but was surpassed by New […]

Read more