For more than a decade, the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (ROC-NY) has been at the vanguard of labor’s new strategy to reverse decades of declining membership. Organized as a 501 (c)3 non-profit, rather than as a traditional labor
In two weeks, the political and financial worlds will pause for the May Jobs Report from the Labor Department. While pundits will debate the change in payrolls and the unemployment rate, focusing on just the monthly numbers obscures more troubling
After embattled VA Undersecretary for Health, Dr. Robert Petzel announced his resignation/retirement, the Obama Administration nominated Dr. Jeffery Murawsky, a regional VA director as his replacement. Dr. Murawsky’s current portfolio, however, includes overseeing the large Edward Hines Jr. VA hospital
On Tuesday, former Congresswomen Marjorie Margolies, mother of Chelsea Clinton’s husband was clobbered in her bid for a comeback in Pennsylvania’s Democrat primary. Despite active campaigning by Bill and Hillary and aggressive support from the money-rich Emily’s List, Margolies lost
On Tuesday, voters in 6 states will head to the polls to select party nominees for the general election in November. It’s the first “Super Tuesday” of the 2014 primary season. The results will fill in more lines on the
On Tuesday, around 30 citizens attended a meeting of the Clark County, IL Park District Board. Most wished to address the board over several recent controversies and allegations of corruption. In the face of this, the board said a public
Appearing Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum reiterated his support for hiking the federal minimum wage. He explained that Republican opposition to mandating a wage increase alienated the GOP from working-class Americans. His is
Unless Congress acts soon, a federal moratorium on taxing internet access will expire before the end of the year, allowing states and localities to tax consumers online access. The ban, the Internet Tax Freedom Act, was passed in 1998, during
For decades, Americans have organized their diet in a way to minimize their intake of saturated fats like butter and red meat. Vegetable oils and carbohydrates became a bigger part of our diet, because, we were repeatedly told, animal fats
On Friday, the Labor Department reported the economy gained 288,000 jobs in April. Economists had expected a gain of 218,000 jobs. The unemployment rate dropped to 6.3%, the biggest drop in the rate since September 2008. The Labor Department also
On Monday, the leaders of 10 conservative organizations sent a letter to Congress outlining their opposition to proposed legislation to extend a federal ban on internet gambling. The letter, obtained by Breitbart News, argues that the legislation would overturn laws
In early April, the Obama Administration delayed cuts in the Medicare Advantage program mandated by Obamacare. These plans, used by 30% of Medicare beneficiaries, supplement traditional Medicare coverage. The planned cuts to the MA program risked a political firestorm just
A new Fox News poll goes a long way to explaining the growing anxiety among Democrats about the upcoming midterm elections. Not only is support for Obama and his signature Obamacare law underwater, both are more unpopular than they were
In even a neutral political environment, the 2014 midterms were going to be a challenge for Senate Democrats. They are defending 21 seats to the GOP’s 15, with only two of the Republican seats at any kind of risk of
Embattled Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) has made her position as Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee a center-piece of her reelection campaign, even staging a fake committee hearing intended to show her fighting for increasing energy production
The Department of Health and Human Services is proposing a rule that would, if implemented, guarantee that even more Americans who like their health insurance plans cannot keep them. Fixed indemnity plans, which pay insured customers a set amount towards
On Thursday, a committee in the Illinois Legislature approved a plan to spend $100 million in taxpayer funds to help build a presidential library for Barack Obama. While libraries for Bill Clinton and George W Bush were entirely funded by
Sean Trende, RealClearPolitic’s astute political analyst, conjured up a nightmare scenario for staff at the National Republican Senatorial Committee in his column today. Trende argues that, if a series of hypotheticals come to pass, not only could the GOP fail
Manufacturing employment in the U.S. shrank by more than 2.1 million jobs between 2007 and 2012, a period that covers the start of the recession and the subsequent economic “recovery,” according to a new report from the Census Bureau. The
Democrat operatives are openly touting a medical marijuana ballot initiative in Florida as a means of helping Democrats win elections in 2014, saying the move, which will likely help bring young voters to the poll, is necessary for the greater
On Thursday, less than two weeks after telling the press she was going to “stick around,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced her resignation from the Obama Administration. The announcement caught Washington by surprise, as the chattering class had only recently
As the US approaches the 5th anniversary of the end of the “Great Recession,” data from across the spectrum continues to show a weak economy. Whether sales, earnings, or jobs, the data can be best described as mixed. If this
The U.S. is approaching the 5th anniversary of its economic “recovery,” but a new survey indicates there’s no reason to celebrate the occasion. On Monday, Gallup reported that its survey of consumer spending showed no increase in March from February
A new survey from Gallup finds residents of Illinois have the least trust in their state government, with just 28% of residents having even a fair amount of trust in the Illinois government to “handle” the state’s problems. Illinois, in
The economy added 192k jobs in March, the Labor Department reported on Friday. Economists expected the economy to add 200k jobs, although in recent days, expectations grew for a big jump in jobs. The unemployment rate remained at 6.7%. Friday’s
A new poll of Iowa Republicans finds former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee topping a crowded GOP field with a narrow lead over second-place finisher Sen. Rand Paul. Huckabee was the choice of 14% of Republicans, while 10% supported Paul. No
Democrats should be worried about more than just the U.S. House and Senate. If President Obama’s poll numbers remain underwater, Republicans are poised to capture control of several state legislatures this fall. The GOP could capture as many as 8
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying to scuttle a deal to raise the minimum wage, The Hill reports, despite the fact that the proposed increase matches one proposed by President Obama last year, providing new evidence that Reid and
Monday’s open enrollment deadline for ObamaCare, which, with its subsidies and tax credits, represents the largest expansion of government, is a good time to assess the total scale of government in the US. Appreciating the full scope of the US
Late last week, the Illinois House Revenue Committee approved a plan to impose a tax surcharge on residents earning more than $1 million a year. The measure, backed by Democrat House Speaker Mike Madigan (pictured) would affect around 14,000 individuals
The political fallout from the disastrous ObamaCare rollout has Obama and Democrats scrambling to dust-off their 2006 playbook and make a minimum wage hike central to their election efforts this Fall. While Democrats now express great moral urgency, remember that
Ever since the economy failed to return to strong economic growth following the federal stimulus and action by the Federal Reserve, liberal commentators have insisted that government “austerity” is to blame and has acted like a brake on potential economic growth.
Earlier this year, Congress finally wrapped up work on a new Farm Bill after years of contentious negotiations. Ultimately, Congress agreed to trim a modest $8.6 billion in spending on the food stamp program over the next ten years. The
On March 13th, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority unanimously voted to award Sony Corporation a $1.6 million tax credit to move 50 jobs from Manhattan to New Jersey. Erin Gold, a spokesman for the Authority, said the credit would
I love primaries. The first campaign I managed was a primary, decades ago. With most districts, and many states, firmly in either the “red” or “blue” camp, primaries are an important mechanism for voters to ensure that their elected officials
Having recently placed West Virginia Democrat Rep. Nick Rahall on its “endangered list,” the House Majority PAC, an arm of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, is out with a new ad touting Rahall’s support of the state’s vital coal industry.
On Wednesday, NBC/WSJ released its latest poll of the nation’s political environment. The poll found that Obama’s approval rating had dropped to 41%, the lowest of his presidency. Given recent political developments, that is noteworthy, but hardly surprising. The poll
On Monday, the Utah House of Representatives approved legislation allowing the state to hold presidential nominating primaries a week before any other state. If approved by the Senate and Governor, Utah would move head of New Hampshire, and possibly Iowa,
On Tuesday, voters in Florida’s 13th District will select a replacement for the late GOP Rep. Bill Young, who represented the St. Petersburg-based district for decades. Democrats secured their top recruit, Alex Sink, former financial officer for the state, who
(National Harbor, MD) — Kentucky Senator Rand Paul won the CPAC Presidential Straw Poll for the second year in a row. The support he received from 31% of voters was almost three times the support of his nearest rival, Texas
