Report Finds 400 Million Children Living in Extreme Poverty

Report Finds 400 Million Children Living in Extreme Poverty:


"“We have witnessed an historic movement of people lifting themselves out of poverty over the past three decades, but the number of children living in poverty alone should leave no doubt that there remains much work to do,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “We can reach our goals of ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity, including sharing that prosperity with future generations, but only if we work together with new urgency. Children should not be cruelly condemned to a life without hope, without good education, and without access to quality health care. We must do better for them.”"




...ero.

Large companies find ways to a zero tax rate

Large companies find ways to a zero tax rate:

"The news comes months after after the Government Accountability Office released a report showing that companies in 2010 reported an average effective tax rate of 12.6%, well below the 35% federal corporate tax rate.

Corporate giants such as telecom firm Verizon, drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb and power management firm Eaton, all reported effective tax rates of 0% during the past 12 months. The findings underscore that while many companies bellyache about the top federal income tax rate of 35%, in reality, many pay much less than that, says Nick Yee of Gradient Analytics. "Investors hope company management is doing everything they can to generate profit, legally," he says. "But the tax code is gray, and there's often no set guidance.""



...ero.

▶ What Will My Retirement Savings Be Worth? Elizabeth Warren on Economics & Finance (2013) - YouTube

▶ What Will My Retirement Savings Be Worth? Elizabeth Warren on Economics & Finance (2013) 


 ""

A Rising Empathy Gap Hurts the Poor—But Also the Economy | Demos

A Rising Empathy Gap Hurts the Poor—But Also the Economy | Demos:

 "Other research has confirmed this empathy gap. Last year, Paul Piff caused quite a stir when he published his finding that upper class individuals were, more likely to break driving laws, take goods from others, lie in a negotiation, cheat and endorse unethical behaviour (this, of course, stands at odd with Charles Murray's rather naive belief that the rich are rich because of their superior moral scruples). Piff summarizes his conclusions,

While having money doesn't necessarily make anybody anything, the rich are way more likely to prioritize their own self-interests above the interests of other people. It makes them more likely to exhibit characteristics that we would stereotypically associate with, say, assholes."




...ero.

Detroit Matters - YouTube

Detroit Matters - YouTube:



 ""

The potential bankruptcy in Detroit is not solely a Detroit crisis; it is an American crisis. Financially devastated cities all across our nation are now struggling for their survival. The outcome in Detroit affects all of us and that's why AFSCME is calling for an urban agenda to strengthen our great cities. AFSCME will not give up on Detroit or the workers who built the city -- and neither should you.




...ero.

Denmark is top of the world's good pension spots - Telegraph

Denmark is top of the world's good pension spots - Telegraph:

 ""The countries ranking above us are doing so because they have a more sustainable approach to how they deliver retirement benefits. They also are providing better communication to participants and have a more informed population."
Mercer said America's ranking can be improved by raising the minimum pension for low-income retirees, adjusting the level of mandatory contributions and limiting access to funds prior to retirement."

▶ Michael Jackson - Thriller - YouTube

▶ Michael Jackson - Thriller - YouTube: ""

Companies unconcerned about proposal requiring them to report how much CEOs make in relation to their workers | cleveland.com

Companies unconcerned about proposal requiring them to report how much CEOs make in relation to their workers | cleveland.com:

""This pay data is important to investors because it shines a light on the company pay ladder for all employees, not just the pay of top executives that is already disclosed under current rules," said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka in a release a few days after the SEC passed the proposal. "The simple fact is that large pay disparities between CEOs and their employees affect a company's performance.

"Disclosure of CEO-to-worker pay ratios will give investors an important metric to analyze the compensation practices of companies," he said.

Trumka said out-of-line CEO compensation impacts productivity as well as employee morale and loyalty.

"In contrast, reasonable CEO-to-worker pay ratios send a positive message to the workforce that the contributions of all employees are important to running a successful company," he said.

The ratio of CEO-to-worker pay in 2012 was 354:1, according to the AFL-CIO. The labor organization said that in 1982, the ratio was 42:1."

22 Quotes to Understand Janet Yellen - DailyFinance

22 Quotes to Understand Janet Yellen - DailyFinance:

 "On income inequality in the U.S.
"[Sen. Don Riegle, D-Mich.] pointed to one of the most disturbing and fundamental long-term secular shifts in the American economy that we have seen in recent decades. American workers have faced serious difficulties in the labor market since the first oil shock in 1973. Since that time, the pace of productivity advance has slowed for reasons which are still not understood, lowering the rate at which living standards have advanced. Even more disturbing, wage inequality has risen, with young men with high school diplomas, for example, experiencing real wage losses of roughly 25 percent from 1971 to 1988. These trends have frustrated the aspirations of many Americans." (June 1995)"



...ero.

Republicans Have Made America Into a Global Laughingstock With Their Government Shutdown

Republican National Convention (Photo credit: NewsHour)

Republicans Have Made America Into a Global Laughingstock With Their Government Shutdown:

 "There is a palpable sense of disquiet among world leaders watching Republicans shutdown and befuddle the United States government’s ability to operate because they could not tolerate 30 million Americans having access to affordable healthcare insurance.

 In fact, most people around the world seriously cannot comprehend the inhumanity of Republicans and their funding machines spending hundreds-of-millions of dollars and shutting down the government to prevent Americans from having health insurance, and the sad joke is that they claim it is what makes America “exceptional” if exceptional means being barbaric.

  The real concern among world leaders, though, is that Republicans unilaterally shut down the government and threaten (again) to default on the nation’s sovereign debt and plunge the world’s financial system into a depression."

Related articles

• Washington moves from one crisis to the next
• Clueless Republicans hatch incoherent shutdown strategy
• Why It's a Bad Idea to Authorize Federal Employee Back Pay, Recall Furloughed Employees
• Multimillionaire Republican Lawmaker Says Government Shutdown 'Is My Idea of Fun'

Taxpayer Subsidies Helped Tesla Motors, So Why Does Elon Musk Slam Them? | Mother Jones

Taxpayer Subsidies Helped Tesla Motors, So Why Does Elon Musk Slam Them? | Mother Jones:


 " In May, the company announced that it had repaid, nine years early, a $465 million loan it had received from the Department of Energy.

Tesla posted its first quarterly profit the same month, and by mid-July the share price of the decade-old Palo Alto-based carmaker had more than doubled. "

Most Highly Unionized Countries Top ‘Happiest Countries” List, Again. Why? | Doorey's Law of Work Blog

Most Highly Unionized Countries Top ‘Happiest Countries” List, Again. Why? | Doorey's Law of Work Blog:


 " . . .  in happy countries, unions and collective bargaining play a substantial role in the setting of conditions of work, which creates a strong middle class.  Not surprisingly, therefore, the ‘happiest’ countries also tend to be the least unequal societies:  they score well on measures of income inequality.  For example, the top 2 most happiest countries (Denmark, Norway) just happen to have the least income inequality in the Western World. "



...ero.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership: We Won’t Be Fooled By Rigged Corporate Trade Agreements | Global Research

The Trans-Pacific Partnership: We Won’t Be Fooled By Rigged Corporate Trade Agreements | Global Research:

 "The TPP is a backdoor corporate power grab to advance the stalled WTO agenda. Or as Sachie Mizohata writes in Asia Times, “The TPP is a Trojan horse, branded as a ‘free trade’ agreement, but having nothing to do with fair and equitable treatment. In reality, it is precisely ‘a wish list of the 1% – a worldwide corporate power’. “"

How a Universal Basic Income Would Affect Poverty | Demos

How a Universal Basic Income Would Affect Poverty | Demos:

 "To be sure, a basic income is not a program that specifically targets the impoverished. As I wrote last week, the total number of dollars needed to bring every impoverished person above the poverty line is something around $175 billion. By not targeting the money directly at the poor, the basic income costs quite a bit more to achieve any given amount of poverty reduction.

But one of the real charms of the basic income is precisely that it is not targeted. This ensures that poor people who receive it do not have to concern themselves with the possiblity that they will lose it if they work more. It also likely means there will be a larger political constituency behind it, just like Social Security has."

How Much Money Would It Take to Eliminate U.S. Poverty? | Demos

How Much Money Would It Take to Eliminate U.S. Poverty? | Demos:

 "How Much Money Would It Take to Eliminate U.S. Poverty?"



...ero.

When the 99 Percent found their voice | SocialistWorker.org

When the 99 Percent found their voice | SocialistWorker.org:

"BESIDES ITS sheer size, the Times Square protest captured the unique energy and dynamism that characterized Occupy at its height. This was a demonstration for which there was never a single printed flyer. It was an unpermitted action held in the heart of New York's tourism district."