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In Social Security…We Trust
by Wilhelmina A. Leigh, Ph.D. On April 23, 2012, the Social Security Board of Trustees released its 2012 annual report on the financial health of the Social Security Trust Funds (formally the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and the Disability Insurance (or OASDI) Trust Funds). Like previous annual reports, this one contains estimates of revenues and [...]
Bringing Conservation to the Congregations
by Danielle Deane originally posted at Region Forward For nearly five years, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies has taken the lead in identifying and advancing African American perspectives on climate change, energy conservation and environmental matters. Now, we’re taking a practical step to bring part of that message to a larger audience. [...]
Paula Kerger Quietly Leads the Way
by Joseph Miller, Esq. Last week, I had the privilege of sitting down with Paula Kerger, President and CEO of PBS. We met at her office at PBS headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. This is a serene office. I noticed your guitar by the window. Do you play? The guitar was a gift from our station [...]
Idea Theft and Black Unemployment
By Joseph Miller, Esq. Black unemployment is a symptom of persistent racial discrimination and skills gaps, but competition and trade policies play a role in unemployment that policy makers too often overlook. Information technology (IT) and intellectual property (IP) theft is a significant threat to U.S. companies’ ability to generate revenue and thereby jobs. Earlier [...]
Fairness Within the Economic Recovery
by Wilhelmina A. Leigh, Ph.D. June of this year will mark the third anniversary of the official end of The Great Recession, the month when the downturn bottomed out and the economy started to grow again. With the recovery, as during the recession, however, disparities by race/ethnicity have persisted in economic outcomes such as employment, [...]
Jazz Has Endured Despite the Odds, Can Public Media?
by Joseph Miller, Esq The FCC’s media ownership rules have never resulted in commercial programming that fully reflects local communities. Local newscasts make up only a small portion of local radio and television broadcast schedules. The vast majority of other programming is national, network programming and syndicated shows. While radio stations have more of a [...]
ESPN, Freedom of Speech, and Jeremy Lin
by Joseph Miller, Esq When ESPN suspended Max Bretos and fired Anthony Federico for using the phrase “chink in the armor” in their coverage of Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks’ loss to the New Orleans Hornets last Friday, righteous indignation about the dwindling First Amendment ensued. That predictable response is a symptom of [...]
Will Santorum Be Easier to Defeat Than Romney?
by Michael R. Wenger, Senior Fellow Beware of what you wish for is a line with which we are all familiar. It seems that there always are unintended consequences. Some Democrats who are now rejoicing over the ascendancy of Rick Santorum in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination have cited that he’ll be much [...]
Joint Center Statement on Legislation Extending the Payroll Tax Cut
by Ralph Everett, Esq. WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released the following statement after Congress passed and sent President Obama legislation to extend the payroll tax cut and long-term unemployment benefits and authorize wireless spectrum auctions that will help pay for them. The President has said he will sign [...]
Men’s Health Affairs: Lost, Forgotten or Wasted?
by Jermane Bond, Ph.D. In recent weeks, President Obama announced a new policy to ensure free preventive care services for women, including well women visits, domestic violence screening and contraception, as recommended by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science. According to the new rule under Section 2713 of the Affordable Care [...]
Reality Check 2012
by David Bositis, Ph.D. When the 2012 Republican presidential candidates speak, there is a constant refrain about President Obama’s “failed presidency.” Maybe that is the case by their standards. On the other hand, by more objective standards, not so much. The President took office when the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression was already [...]
From Lilly Ledbetter to Broadband Access: Reframing Women’s Equity
by Nicol Turner-Lee, Ph.D. originally published at Politic365 Last month, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act celebrated its third anniversary as the first piece of legislation signed into law by President Obama. The Act was initiated by Lilly Ledbetter who realized that she was unfairly compensated for doing the same work of her male counterparts. [...]
