A Painless Fix for America’s Budget Squeeze

An emergency 1 percent ‘wealth tax’ on the nation’s richest 1 percent could raise enough revenue to keep teachers on the job and libraries open. But our dysfunctional political system can’t even raise that possibility. Read more . . .

Must Congress Always Cave at Crunch Time?

With millions of Americans out of work and hurting, lawmakers who claim they worry about budget deficits spent last week forcing ‘compromises’ that will save hedge fund kingpins billions in taxes.

A Historic Breakthrough for U.S. Billionaires

In 2010 America, schools, students, and teachers share the pain. The heirs to our mega rich, meanwhile, don’t have to share anything. For the first time in nearly a century, we have no federal estate tax.

Budget Cuts in Perspective: A Tale of Two Ikes

Local government elected leaders are claiming we have no alternative to king-size budget cuts. But their numbers don’t add up.

Not Soak the Rich, Just a Little Sprinkle

President Obama’s new federal budget blueprint won’t end plutocracy in America. But this second Obama budget, if adopted, might actually inconvenience it.

Budget Cuts and IOUs: What’s Squeezing States?

The Great Recession has shoved state governments over the fiscal edge. But what brought states to that edge in the first place?

A Tiny Tax, A Really Big Return

America’s states, says a new Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report, have a remarkably easy-to-administer alternative that can help avoid devastating budget cuts without putting any real pain on anyone. That alternative: tax the rich!