Blog: Policy Shop

Something that you hear about quite a lot these days is the “all of the above” energy plan. The phrase is in both party platforms with the general idea being that our energy needs should be met by using all forms of energy available — coal, oil, gas, nuclear, renewables, biofuels, etc. Diversifying our energy […]

Well, it’s official: Most Americans don’t know squat about financial investing. That’s one of the chief conclusions of a 212-page study of financial literacy that the SEC, collaborating with the Library of Congress, released late last month: . . . American investors lack basic financial literacy. For example, studies have found that investors do not […]

Should Dodd-Frank be overturned, the financial industry stands to make (with government backing, of course) a ton of money. It’s unsurprising that its repeal has become a centerpiece of the 2012 campaign, with Wall Street donating far more to candidates who want to overturn or weaken the law. What is surprising is how brazen they’ve […]

As summer comes to an end, much of the country is still suffering from drought conditions. While rain brought relief to areas in the East, the Plains and Western parts of the country are still experiencing above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation levels. The impacted areas also happen to be where a lot of […]

Early voting is a recent phenomenon, and we know that African Americans in the last election cycle in particular disproportionately made use of it. However, the curtailment of voting opportunities for minority communities is nothing new. The 1981 U.S. Civil Rights Commission noted that election administrators moved polling places away from black voters to more […]

Anyone who has hung around progressive circles for the past two decades has invariably logged a small chunk of their lives in frustrating “vision” conversations. The problem, always, was coming up with the elevator pitch for a Balkanized liberalism that was more a grab bag of specific causes than a movement guided by a few […]

Media and advocacy center SparkAction continues to creatively mobilize youth and those who care about issues concerning young people with its latest crowd sourced competition, the KIDS COUNT Infographic Challenge. Sponsored by the Casey Foundation, the competition challenges graphic designers and visionaries of all ages to create a compelling presentation of Casey’s KIDS COUNT data, […]

Report: College On A Credit Card Many Americans pay a lot more than the cost of student loans in order to attain a degree. Over the past year, as the nation’s student debt rolls hit $1 billion, policy makers, parents, and students took a hard look at the costs and benefits of a college education. […]

Listening to Michelle Obama’s speech at the DNC last night, two passages that ran high on the applause meter are powerful reminders of the basic values that Americans want to believe in: First Lady Michelle Obama speaks during the opening night of the Democratic National Convention at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina […]

Cities and counties across America are facing fiscal collapse. Even Warren Buffet thinks so. But Wall Street, especially the rating agencies, are ignoring the realities. So, for that matter are Obama and Romney. It’s coming and it won’t be pretty. Things like control boards and municipal bankruptcy are popping up across the country, and will […]