Special Report

Adam Smith, in The Wealth of Nations, posed the question of how to define an adequate standard of living. “By necessaries,” he wrote, “I understand not only the commodities which are indispensably necessary for support of life, but what ever the custom of the country renders it indecent for creditable people, even of the lowest […]

By now, the stirring images are familiar to television viewers: teary-eyed father recounting beloved child’s battle with life-threatening illness … child enjoying miraculous recovery thanks to world-class health care at Mayo Clinic … grateful dad’s glowing tribute to beneficent employer for picking up tab, supporting family values, and investing in hard-pressed workers like him. The […]

In the past four years, the income of the median family has fallen while the gap between executive pay and that of ordinary workers has continued to widen. Some of this trend is the result of deliberate Bush administration policies: tax cuts tilted toward the top, the defunding of social subsidies, the deregulation of corporate […]

If I had 15 minutes with the future President Kerry, I would not have to educate him about my ideas for energy security. That’s because he already has a deep understanding of them. Making America energy independent, strengthening our national security, and protecting the environment are causes that John Kerry has fought for his entire […]

Remember all those speeches you gave filled with statistics and stories about the middle-class squeeze? You spoke the truth. Wages really are stagnant, and we really are struggling to buy the basics. The core of a middle-class life–a home, health insurance, a good education for our children, the things our parents could take for granted–is […]

If John Kerry is elected this fall, his no. 1 task will be to deal with the huge budget mess George W. Bush’s tax cuts have created. Which begs the question: How could President Kerry build public support for the higher taxes our country desperately needs? So far, Kerry hasn’t shown any inclination to talk […]

Congratulations, Mr. President! The progressive lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) community is delighted that you have an opportunity to turn America back on a path to tolerance. Here’s what we expect in return: no more, and no less, than what we got from William Jefferson Clinton. What’s that? You say that Clinton botched every […]

If he takes the oath of office as president, John Kerry would inherit an upside-down economy marked by slow job growth, stagnant wages, and rising costs; twin deficits–budget and trade–that threaten havoc for the middle class; a health-care system that’s facing financial chaos; a dangerous and costly occupation in Iraq; a vitally important but vastly […]

We routinely screen presidential candidates for demonstrated competence on national security, economic policy, and other supreme responsibilities. But neither major candidate has demonstrated leadership or expertise on racial and ethnic justice (though George W. Bush’s record is far worse). To our collective shame, it’s been a “missing issue” in the campaign. But it must not […]

When we recall the now-famous incantation, “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country,” we focus on its content: John F. Kennedy invited Americans to become active participants in, rather than passive recipients of, American democracy. But the word that stands out for me is the […]