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If Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker loses the election to recall him from office Tuesday, the political press will declare the arrival of Big Labor's comeback. If Walker wins, it will be seen as yet another sign of labor's demise. The election to recall the Republican governor, sparked by Walker's successful 2011 effort to end collective bargaining for public employees, has drawn participation from many different groups, including the tea party. But unions, which have long been fighting stories of their demise, have much of what's left of their reputation as powerful political organizers riding on the race. Union membership in 2011 fell to a record low for the second straight year, according to the Department of Labor, but that's not the only avenue in which unions have been struggling. Bill Schneider, a a senior fellow and resident scholar at centrist think tank Third Way, told Yahoo News that labor has lately experienced "tougher times winning" electoral race...

What should be done about the economy? Republicans claim to have the answer: slash spending and cut taxes. What they hope voters won’t notice is that that’s precisely the policy we’ve been following the past couple of years. Never mind the Democrat in the White House; for all practical purposes, this is already the economic policy of Republican dreams. Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times Paul Krugman Go to Columnist Page » Blog: The Conscience of a Liberal Related in Opinion Paul Krugman Blog: 1937 (June 3, 2012) More on the Economy » Connect With Us on Twitter For Op-Ed, follow @nytopinion and to hear from the editorial page editor, Andrew Rosenthal, follow @andyrNYT . Readers’ Comments Readers shared their thoughts on this article. Read All Comments (925) » So the Republican electoral strategy is, in effect, a gigantic con game: it depends on convincing voters that the bad economy is the result of big-spending policies that President Obama hasn’t...

*Offer limited to cruise ship owners, shopping mall developers, ceiling fan importers, natural gas distributors, and other corporations with suitable K Street connections. —By Michael Scherer | March/April 2005 Issue 4 Orla /Shutterstock Editor's Note:  For perspective on the debate over tax cuts and deficit fixes, a classic case study of how the tax code became a slush fund for corporate America. IN A SEASON OF campaign rallies and million-dollar ad buys, President Bush opted for one decidedly understated ceremony. On October 22, just 11 days before the election, he boarded Air Force One to sign $137 billion in new tax breaks for corporate America, one of the largest industry giveaways in two decades. This was his fifth major tax cut, but this time there was no glad-handing, no photo op—just a one-sentence press release. The president had nothing to brag about. His signature expanded exactly the sort of tax avoidance he had railed against a...

   Email This   Print This   in Share Share this video: Email Video A promise we must keep. In 1935, a landmark federal program called Social Security was established to help families face the uncertainties brought on by retirement. The new program was a promise made to all working people...from all walks of lif...and for all future generations of America. Social Security is for our parents, our children, our grandchildren...and their children. That promise has stood as a fundamental legacy for hard-working Americans—from those of retirement age to young workers just entering the workplace. And over all these years, Social Security hasn't added a single penny to our nation's debt. Yet some on Capitol Hill are ready to discard this important pledge. Standing together to save Social Security on the principles of honor and promises kept. When you thin...

aldron on Mar 24, 2012 at 10:56 am HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania — Republican lawmakers who vote for tax increases are “rat heads in a Coke bottle,” anti-tax activist Grover Norquist said during a speech Friday at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, a conservative gathering where he was a featured speaker. Last week, Norquist called Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval a “ rat ” for supporting tax increases. This week, Norquist expanded the attack, saying that the same way Coca-Cola would lose customers if a rat head was found in a Coke bottle, Republicans voting for tax increases “damage the brand.” Instead, Norquist said, the GOP needs conservatives like former President Ronald Reagan who oppose taxes at all costs: NORQUIST: Don’t raise taxes. Tax reform? Sure. Reduce rates, broaden the base, like Reagan did. … No net tax increases! [...] Republican elected officials who vote for tax increases are rat heads in a Coke bottle . Watch it: By invoking Reagan to make his cas...

"People Earning 250 Thousand Aren't Rich But Those Earning 60 Thousand Are" As we've all realized by now, the core value of the Republican party is simple: They want cheap, disposable labor with no legal protections. Everything they do is geared toward that end. So they're especially infuriated when the Unwashed Unworthies like us actually manage to pull down a living wage. It disturbs them in a visceral way: Conservatives these days walk a tricky line when it comes to wages. On the one hand, they strive to defend the just earnings of capitalist lords of enterprise. On the other, they try hard to foster resentment of any working people who might actually enjoy living wages and decent benefits. In a nutshell: while Wall Street bankers deserve every penny they get, public school teachers—to take just one example—are overpaid mooches who are leeching off society. The latest hubbub illustrating this strange double standard came after the New York Times reporte...