Why Don’t We Pay People Enough? 8 Facts About America’s Struggling Working People

By Bill Quigley, AlterNet Feb 9, 2012 Millions of people in the US work and are still poor Here are eight points that show why the U needs to dedicate itself to making work pay. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Here Comes the Capital Strike

Staff / Truthdig Nov 26, 2011 From his seat in Congress, House Speaker John Boehner announced in mid-September that American business owners would continue to hold the nation's wealth (and thus the public welfare) hostage until government granted them the “low-tax, deregulated world they wanted,” writes journalist and author Thomas Frank in Harper’s online. (more) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Barbara Ehrenreich: ‘Poverty Has Been Criminalized in America’

Staff / Truthdig Aug 14, 2011 Ten years ago, writer Barbara Ehrenreich published "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America," a blockbuster book on the state of the working poor in America. (more) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Plight of U.S. Workers, by the Numbers

Staff / Truthdig Jul 4, 2011 You already know Americans are overworked. But what are the hard numbers? This collection of charts from definitive sources plainly shows that the biggest industries are hiring the least, the Internet has extended the workday, employed women do more domestic work with less leisure time than men, and more. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

$26 Billion for States and Schools

Staff / Truthdig Aug 6, 2010 A $26 billion aid package was passed by the Senate on Thursday that aims to ensure that school districts and states do not have to can tens of thousands of teachers and government workers. Just two Republicans crossed the ideological aisle to support the bill, which now heads to the House. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pitting Worker Against Worker

BLANK May 1, 2010 In this May Day special feature, economist Moshe Adler argues that the answer to our immigration, labor and broader economic problems is more immigration and more welfare for all. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

The Americans Who Can’t Wait for a Better Bill

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Mar 16, 2010 The lines at health care centers in working class communities around the country start forming when other Americans are going to bed, and they're getting longer. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Baby Sitter Blues

Ruth Marcus / Truthdig Feb 3, 2010 With 70 percent of children living in households where all adults are working, we need to reexamine the disparity that makes child care a luxury working families can't afford. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Cornel West Calls Out Barack Obama

Staff / Truthdig Jan 25, 2010 In this video message to the president, the celebrated professor asks, "How deep is your love for poor and working people?" and urges, "Don't simply be the friendly face of the American empire." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

McCain Defiant in Ohio

Staff / Truthdig Oct 31, 2008 What is it with politicians and the poetics of town names? John McCain is launching his electoral last stand in a place called, seriously, Defiance, Ohio. The rough 'n' tumblin', dissident, anti-status-quo Republican candidate for president is following in the footsteps of Barack Obama, who campaigned in Unity, N.H., with Hillary Clinton after a barbed primary. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Who Pays $273,000 for Household Help?

Staff / Truthdig Oct 10, 2008 John McCain does. This hilarious YouTube clip, from a documentary filmmaker, gets at the heart of the disparity between the realities of working folk and the politicians who claim they are "friends" with the American people.(Alert: salty language.) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Spin Control With Your Host, President Sarkozy

Staff / Truthdig Apr 25, 2008 French President Nicolas Sarkozy strode into office a year ago after talking big about economic growth, but by early 2008 he complained that "the till's already empty" -- as he sported flashy accessories and stepped out with an even flashier new partner, Carla Bruni. Now, "Sarko" is doing crisis management and offering apologies for his past mistakes. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )