Features

• The Undertow

  Paul Starr

• Whose Confirmation Mess?

  David Strauss

  Who really politicized the Supreme Court? All it took to end the bloody confirmation battles were a few middle-of-the-road nominees.

• The Skills Myth

  David Howell

  Almost everyone seems to believe that workers are losing income because they lack the proper skills. But there's a better explanation: they've lost bargaining power.

• Can We Keep Guns away from Kids?

  David Kennedy

  The Brady Bill was a modest beginning. But if we want to stop youth violence, we need to crack down on the black markets for firearms.

• Divided Families, Whole Children

  Richard Weissbourd

  Listening to the children of divorce can help us understand how to mend the damage of marital discord and family breakup.

• The New Crusade for the Old Family

  Arlene Skolnick

  A new wave of family restorationists says that the evidence on families is in and that the remedies are clear. Their case doesn't hold up.

• Seismic Stimulus: The California Quake's Creative Destruction

  Peter Dreier

  The earth literally had to move to jolt Congress into passing a stiumulus package -- and to lift California out of recession.

• The Consequences of Single Motherhood

  Sara McLanahan

  Children of single-parent families suffer measurable harm. But the problems of the family are far more complex than the popular debate often suggests.

• Self-Fulfilling Prophets: Inflated Zeal at the Federal Reserve

  James Galbraith

  Greenspan's rate increases needlessly threaten to abort the recovery. A more accountable central bank is long overdue.

• The False Messiah: Pete Peterson's Revelations Are Not Gospel

  Robert McIntyre

  Virtually without challenge, Pete Peterson claims to be a champion of the middle class. But his proposals would actually cut taxes for the rich and benefits for middle-income people.

• Instant Replay: Three Strikes Was the Right Call

  John DiIulio

• The New Dialectic

  James Galbraith