Category tax policy for the 99%
Huzzah! Unemployment fell to 6.7% (NOT)
Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we find that the US added a paltry 74,000 jobs in December (I’m assuming that’s seasonally adjusted and doesn’t include people hired for holiday retail). And yet despite that, the Unemployment rate fell to 6.7%. Huzzah!Praise be to Obama! Praise be to the fiscally responsible Republicans who refused to […]
Joblessness doesn’t pay
On the 28th of December, long term unemployment benefits expired. The Republican majority in Congress allowed this to happen even though a majority of Americans thought they should be continued. Depending on who you believe, this is the first time the US government has cut extended benefits with the long-term unemployment rate this high. Per the National […]
Bon Voyage, Mike Bloomberg
Unless something goes terribly wrong in the next 48 hours, tonight Michael Bloomberg will go to sleep as the FORMER mayor of America’s largest city. He leaves behind a municipality that is going through its worst homelessness crisis in decades, with upwards of 22,000 children among the transients camped out at SRO’s and shelters. This […]
Hurry up with 2014 already!
We are now in the armpit of the year that is the six days betwixt Xmas and New Year’s Day. I can’t do a Year in Review on a totally pessimistic note. I had several performance gigs. I bid adieu to Richmond, Virginia after getting rid of my parent’s lifetime’s accumulation of check stubs. On the […]
The jobless future–a worthwhile podcast
I stumbled across this podcast by accident–it’s geared as a story about Millennials and the resentment and hatred they engender. And it’s on a comedy website (Cracked.com) where the commentators (Executive Editor Jason Pargin (aka David Wong) and Cracked Editor-in-Chief Jack O’Brien) are paid funnymen. That said, it’s a surprisingly mature discussion. It echoes a meme […]
Reverend Billy P*sses off the banksters: the Empire strikes back
Per Frank Episale (and also receiving a mention in the Village Voice), Reverend Billy Talen has been busted for a protest inside of JP Morgan Chase awhile ago. There’s a great account here. The short form is here, from Blake Zidell, Talen’s publicist: On the eve of a run of shows by Reverend Billy & The Stop […]
Soldiers on food stamps
For much of the past week, the Internets machines have been all atwitter over the following spectacle. As part of the GOP Congress’ continuing cuts to payments and services for the poor, hundreds of thousands of families (some 48 million Americans) had their SNAP benefits (formerly ‘food stamps’) cut on November 1. Many of […]
Does the Tea Party WANT a default?
(warning–conspiracy theory ahead) I’ve been watching the clownies in DC dance the debt ceiling dance. What supposedly started as a fight over Obamacare (which more properly should be called ‘Romneycare‘ or even ‘Heritage Foundation care‘) has now morphed into a battle over government size. The Tea Party types, spurred on by ideologues with lots of […]
How to stop the Empire–the Government Shutdown edition
Yesterday the Republicrats managed to shut down the government. While I’d agree with many of my friends that this piece of political theatre is largely the province of the GOP and the Tea Party, there’s more than a bit of blame going for the Dems. Some thoughts: 1. I tour a play about a priest […]
The Brooklyn Culture Jam 