Who benefits from the War on Terror?

Johnny Barber writes from Kabul: On September 11th, 2001, George W. Bush announced, “We are at war. Somebody is going to pay.” Eleven years later, we are still paying. Bullets, mortars and drones are still extracting payment. Thousands, tens of thousands, millions have paid in full. Children and even those yet to be born in […]

Paul Ryan on Social Security MediCare and Pell Grants

Paul Ryan was chosen by Mitt Romney as his Vice Presidential pick. Here’s 6 things to know about Paul Ryan, as researched by MoveOn: 1. His economic plan would cost America 1 million jobs in the first year. Ryan’s proposed budget would cripple the economy. He’d slash spending deeply, which would not only slow job […]

What your Social Security contribution should be worth

The government is now referring to our Social Security checks as a “Federal Benefit Payment.” –This isn’t a benefit – its earned income! Not only did we all contribute to Social Security but our employers did too. It totaled 15% of our income before taxes. If you averaged $30K per year over your working life, […]

Why the worst recession since the Great Depression

Facts shared in a speech by US Senator Bernie Sanders, the longest serving independent member of Congress in American history: The American people are angry because they are living through the worst recession since the Great Depression. Unemployment is not 8.2%, real unemployment is closer to 15%. Today the wealthiest 400 individuals in America own […]

America writing off Social Security for the elderly

When neoconservatives, politicians, and high ranking military officers speak of a 30-year war against terrorism, there is no discussion about its affordability or whether the one significant attack (September 11, 2001) that is attributed, perhaps incorrectly, to Muslim terrorists justifies an open-ended war against a dozen countries. There is no discussion of the burden on […]

New Record for Military Spending

On April 17, 2012, as millions of Americans were filing their income tax returns, the highly-respected Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its latest study of world military spending. In case Americans were wondering where most of their tax money — and the tax money of other nations — went in the previous year, […]

Find out how your tax dollars are spent

Would you like to know where the federal government spend all the money you paid in income taxes during fiscal 2011? Click here for a breakdown. Following the above link, enter in the box the amount of federal income taxes you paid. And then click “Show My Taxes”, and you will find out where every […]

How do you characterize the North American energy predicament?

If the energy industry has its way in North America, there will be many more legitimate complaints we have been “sold out” to the energy barons. To gain access to the additional stores of oil and gas of the United States and Canada, the industry is seeking to eliminate virtually all environmental restraints imposed since […]

Big Oil about to Third World the US and Canada?

Up until 1950, the United States was the world’s leading oil producer, the Saudi Arabia of its day. In that year, the U.S. produced approximately 270 million metric tons of oil, or about 55% of the world’s entire output. But with a postwar recovery then in full swing, the world needed a lot more energy […]

How Wealth Reduces Compassion

Who is more likely to lie, cheat, and steal—the poor person or the rich one? It’s tempting to think that the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to act fairly. After all, if you already have enough for yourself, it’s easier to think about what others may need. But research suggests the opposite […]