We have a new president-elect and signs of hope are everywhere, from celebrations in the streets of urban America over the first clinically-sane president in eight years, to the victory laps of homophobic suburbia over gay rights rollbacks.  Things are looking so hopeful that, even on the brink of the biggest failure in U.S. business…

Lost amidst the hoopla and funny hats of this week’s Democratic National Convention, and its historic nomination of America’s first-ever human presidential candidate, was the timely release of an “upbeat” U.S. Census report on poverty. Proving that a “household” can still do the job a single wage-earning dad used to, median household income rose 1.3%,…

The latest economic news is “sobering” according to experts who seem to have confused the word with its opposite meaning, a reason to start drinking heavily. And what’s to blame for the lingering economic malaise that continues to drag us down like a slumping clean-up hitter? Is it the growing gap between rich and poor,…

As our national economy continues to sag like a 1960s Playmate, the personal toll can be felt in our dwindling savings, mounting credit card debt, diminished home value, rising fuel costs, plummeting stock portfolio, and a future gone flatline.  In this prelude to what may be the biggest economic catastrophe since that Great Depression your…

Reading the newspaper is confusing these days. Which headlines are we supposed to believe? The one that says incomes are up? (“Household Incomes Rise” — CNN/Money)  Or the one that says poverty rates are up? (“Record Numbers Plunged Into Poverty” — USA Today) Can the human mind contain such contradictory information and not collapse like…

Times are tough!  No, I’m not talking about the plummeting dollar or the sub-prime mortgage crisis or even the winless Miami Dolphins.  As our national economy staggers like an intern at the office Christmas party, wise investors are glad they hedged their bets with America’s brightest financial minds. And if you were smart enough to…

To the creaky generation of our grandparents, “retirement” meant a gold watch, followed by a lot of sitting around watching their hands spot until their hearts gave out, if they were lucky, around the same time as their meager savings. Today’s graying boomers have so much more to look forward to, aside from the ignominy…

As an inexorable global economy makes the world a smaller place, America’s unions have made similar strides: everything about U.S. labor is smaller in the 21st century!  The number of unions, their dwindling membership — even the duration of their strikes. A couple of weeks ago the United Auto Workers struck against General Motors, the first…

Earlier this week Rookie Chariman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke,slashed federal interest rates one half-point, and there was much rejoicing throughout the land.  Not to be outdone, retired Fed honcho Alan Greenspan embarked on an emergency book tour and, when asked his opinion of the bold and unexpected move, responded, “Whatever.” By the time…

Not since Al Gore won the 2000 election has there been a more important campaign than the one that will determine which party will largely ignore the needs of the many in favor of the needs of the few: the 2008 presidential election. But let’s not be cynical!  These are hopeful times, as evidenced by Democratic…