High Flyers – The Cost of Private Jets for the Rest of Us

There is perhaps no greater symbol for our current age of extreme wealth, inequality, and environmental devastation than private jets. Earlier this month, the Patriotic Millionaires co-released a report – High Flyers 2023: How Ultra-Rich Private Jet Travel Costs the Rest of Us and Burns Up Our Planet – with the Institute for Policy Studies about the negative impacts of the private jet industry on … Continue reading High Flyers – The Cost of Private Jets for the Rest of Us »

There’s still work to do with wages

Workers in America have made some strides over the last few years, but unfortunately the road to real and lasting economic security remains long. With a debt ceiling crisis poised to potentially crash the global economy, and the Federal Reserve willing to push millions of Americans out of work to combat inflation, there’s a lot of work to be done to ensure that the gains of the last … Continue reading There’s still work to do with wages »

Why Patriotic Millionaires Love High-Tax States

As Tax Day approaches, it’s a good time to examine some myths about how people – and the wealthy in particular – respond to higher taxes. As we all know, tax rates differ from state to state, in some cases dramatically. According to a report released last week, residents in New York, Hawaii, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Maryland have the highest tax burdens in the … Continue reading Why Patriotic Millionaires Love High-Tax States »

Right-to-work is out-the-door in Michigan

The state of Michigan is well-known for many things (cherries, sand dunes, and its famous mitten shape), but economically, Michigan is probably most distinguished by its connection to the automobile industry and, with that, its steeped history in the labor movement. In 2022, 14% of Michigan workers were part of a union, above the national average of 10.1%. Among all 50 states, Michigan boasts the 12th highest unionization … Continue reading Right-to-work is out-the-door in Michigan »

The Deadly Consequences of Inequality

If you grew up in America, then you almost definitely have heard some variation of the refrain: “America is the greatest country in the world.” It’s an idea that’s so commonplace that it’s more or less taken for granted. We boast of inventions like the airplane, the light bulb, the internet, and even the humble chocolate chip cookie. We are home to some of the … Continue reading The Deadly Consequences of Inequality »

Corporations are chicken plumping the economy with stock buybacks

It’s official: ultra-rich corporate executives are chicken plumping the American economy with stock buybacks. After a brief hiatus during the height of the pandemic, corporations have doubled down on stock buybacks. Last month, big public companies spent an incredible $132 billion on buybacks, more than triple what they spent in January 2022. By some estimates, in 2023, buybacks by S&P 500 companies alone are projected to top $1 trillion for … Continue reading Corporations are chicken plumping the economy with stock buybacks »

Child Labor is Not a Thing of the Past in America

In case you hadn’t noticed, there is very little that US employers won’t do to save a buck or two. As of late, that even includes breaking the law and hiring children as young as 12 to work dangerous jobs. Last Friday, news broke that Packers Sanitation Services, one of the country’s largest food sanitation service providers, paid $1.5 million in penalties for illegally employing 102 children to clean … Continue reading Child Labor is Not a Thing of the Past in America »

Give tipped workers raises, not roses, this Valentine’s Day

For most Americans, Valentine’s Day is a lighthearted holiday filled with roses, chocolates, and maybe even a few of Cupid’s arrows. But for the 12 million workers in America’s restaurant industry, February 14th is one of their busiest days of the year. If you are one of the millions of Americans going out to eat tonight, you may be interested to know how much – or, more accurately, how little – your … Continue reading Give tipped workers raises, not roses, this Valentine’s Day »

Unmasking Jason Smith

The House Ways and Means Committee is one of the most important centers of decision-making in the entire federal government. It’s the House’s chief tax-writing committee, where members of Congress make calls about who gets taxed and how much and, in the process, decide how our economy should be structured. With so much power over our tax code, the House Ways and Means Committee has … Continue reading Unmasking Jason Smith »

The FairTax Act is Nowhere Near Fair

If you thought the GOP’s dedication to cutting taxes for rich people at any cost couldn’t get any more extreme, you might want to think again. The latest proposal out of the House takes their radicalism to a whole new level. Earlier this month, a group of House Republicans – including Earl “Buddy” Carter, Scott Perry, Matt Gaetz, and Marjorie Taylor Greene – re-introduced legislation … Continue reading The FairTax Act is Nowhere Near Fair »

The Other NRA is Exploiting Workers

We’ve known for a long time that the National Restaurant Association (the “other” NRA) is an awful organization. As a representative of some of the biggest, most profitable, and often most exploitative businesses in the restaurant industry, the NRA has fought for years to keep the tipped minimum wage for restaurant workers as low as possible. Unfortunately, it’s been largely successful and has kept Congress … Continue reading The Other NRA is Exploiting Workers »

Survival of the Richest

This week, over 2,700 world leaders are attending the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland – better known as simply “Davos.” Every year, elites from business, politics, and civil society meet at this annual conference held at an exclusive and luxurious Swiss ski resort to discuss humanity’s most pressing problems. And every year, they fail to make any real change because they refuse to … Continue reading Survival of the Richest »

Get Ready for a Debt Ceiling Showdown

Last week, after a historic five-day battle involving no fewer than 15 rounds of voting, Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 118th Congress. In order to win the gavel, McCarthy had to make concessions to a group of 20 far-right Republicans, the majority of whom belong to the House Freedom Caucus. We don’t know the details of many of these back-room … Continue reading Get Ready for a Debt Ceiling Showdown »

Blame Corporate Greed for the Southwest Fiasco

Happy New Year! We hope you and your loved ones enjoyed a peaceful, joy-filled holiday and are feeling optimistic about the new year. If you were traveling over the holidays, you might have been one of the hundreds of thousands affected by the flight cancelation chaos at Southwest Airlines. Between December 22 and December 29, Southwest canceled more than 15,000 of its scheduled flights, leaving customers and … Continue reading Blame Corporate Greed for the Southwest Fiasco »

Don’t Extend Trump’s Corporate Tax Cuts

Congress is facing an important deadline this week. By this Friday, December 16th, lawmakers must adopt a new spending bill to fund the federal government for the 2023 fiscal year, or they will face the prospect of a government shutdown. Both Republicans and Democrats are eager to get this done. They might not care equally about the need to prevent the economic fallout that would inevitably ensue with a … Continue reading Don’t Extend Trump’s Corporate Tax Cuts »

Eliminate the debt ceiling

Last week, we told you about many important issues that Democrats have on their plate in the lame duck session. For this week’s Closer Look, we’re going to dive a little deeper into one of the most important things Democrats should be prioritizing in the three weeks before they officially lose control of the House: fixing (AKA eliminating) the debt ceiling. Established by Congress in 1939, … Continue reading Eliminate the debt ceiling »

The clock is ticking on Democrats’ legislative agenda

This week, Congress has returned to work in Washington after the Thanksgiving break and will now finish out its “lame-duck session” – the legislative period between elections and the entry of a new Congress. This is crunch time for many important legislative goals for Democrats since they will lose control of the House come January. For this week’s Closer Look, we want to highlight a few of these legislative … Continue reading The clock is ticking on Democrats’ legislative agenda »

You can blame New York for the House

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a week since polls closed for the midterm elections. Some key races have yet to be called, but we can nonetheless see some broader patterns emerging that we’d like to highlight for you today. First, the good news: Democrats have officially retained control of the Senate! After incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto defeated Adam Laxalt in Nevada’s hotly contested Senate … Continue reading You can blame New York for the House »

Are America’s billionaires oligarchs?

Are America’s billionaires oligarchs? It’s a strange question for many who see oligarchs as a uniquely foreign problem. But the answer is, without a doubt, yes. We’ve heard a lot about oligarchs in the news over the last year, as Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has sparked a fierce international backlash against the aggressors and brought attention to the inner workings of the Russian state. Along with a … Continue reading Are America’s billionaires oligarchs? »