Dec 23 The Holiday Economic Divide: Wal-Mart or Saks? Wal-Mart shoppers in Syracuse, N.Y.; Creative Commons photo courtesy flickr.com/number13001/ As the Christmas gift season winds down there are distinct holiday retail stories emerging - one for the wealthiest communities and one for places that are struggling. Luxury… Continue reading
Dec 21 Patchwork Nation’s 5 Political, Economic Stories to Watch for in 2011 DREAM Act supporters file out of the Senate Gallery after watching its defeat on Dec. 18; Photo by Bill Clark/Roll Call This year brought big changes in to the United States. The midterm elections shuffled the balance of power… Continue reading
Dec 16 Foreclosure Reading Shows Some Good News, But Brace for 2011 In the three years since the great American housing collapse became a big story, there is good news to report. The numbers are down. But maybe not for long. The latest home foreclosure data from RealtyTrac show that… Continue reading
Dec 14 Opposition to House Tax Bill Not Limited to Traditional Liberal Districts Rep. Christopher Van Hollen, D-Md.; Roll Call/Getty Images file photo Although House Democratic leaders said they would not block the compromise tax cuts bill from reaching the floor, it may reveal growing opposition from both representatives of traditional… Continue reading
Dec 07 Patchwork Nation: How Tax Cuts Play Out County by County As the debate over extending the Bush-era tax cuts plays out in Washington, an important element is being left out of the debate - geography. This tax cut debate has a similar sound to others in Congress. Republicans back extending… Continue reading
Dec 02 The Complicated Equation Behind Unemployment Benefits On Tuesday, Congress refused to further extended long-term unemployment benefits, keeping the cut-off at 99 weeks. That doesn't mean the fight is over. Democrats continue to argue for more time, while Republicans say the country can't afford it. Continue reading
Nov 26 Black Friday: How Much Will Richest Communities Be Willing to Spend? Hoping to cash in on the annual holiday season gift-giving frenzy Toy R Us opened its doors this year at 10 o'clock. That's p.m. -- on Thanksgiving. Other stores didn't even wait for Turkey Day. If you found… Continue reading
Nov 22 What Does Bankruptcy Surge Across U.S. Mean for Recovery Chances? As a measure of economic pain, bankruptcies carry a special power. A bankruptcy is more than losing one's job or home, it is essentially calling for a complete financial do-over. Since 2007, the number of bankruptcies in the United… Continue reading
Nov 15 GOP Midterm Victory Seen as Ordinary Tidal Change By Dante Chinni Two weeks after the 2010 midterms, the results are receding into the past, and the new reality is settling in. But before we go too far down the road of analyzing the shift in the American voting public - the… Continue reading
Nov 08 Democratic Dustbowl: The End of the Prairie Progressives? "Tea Party tidal wave," "historic election," "political realignment": there have been a lot of overblown claims about the scope of this midterm election but as Nov. 2 recedes a bit, some clearer and still potentially troubling realities appear to… Continue reading