Topic: The New Deal

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Playing the IRS card: Six presidents who used the IRS to bash political foes

Since the advent of the federal income tax about a century ago, several presidents – or their zealous underlings – have directed the IRS to use its formidable police powers to harass or punish enemies, political rivals, and administration critics. Here are six infamous episodes.
Inauguration 2013: 10 highlights from previous second-term addresses

Barack Obama will be the 17th American president to deliver two inaugural addresses. Here are 10 highlights from such speeches by previous two-term presidents, including the shortest one ever.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: 8 great quotes on his birthday

January 30th marks the 130th birthday of the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Here are eight great quotes from the eloquent president.
Six things you probably didn't know about Ayn Rand

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Social Security: Ponzi scheme or political football?

Social Security debate reignited with Rick Perry's critique of Social Security as a Ponzi scheme.
America's big shift right

Why the country's conservative drift, on a wide range of issues, has accelerated.
A balanced budget amendment to solve the debt crisis? It's an old story.

A proposed amendment to the Constitution requiring a balanced federal budget has been the subject of congressional hearings for 60 years. But the issue is even older than that.
Opinion: Painful truth of debt crisis: We must raise taxes, even on the middle class

For 75 years, the federal government has used tax benefits and other indirect assistance to underwrite a giant middle-class welfare state. Now it’s time for Americans to admit the truth. If we want all the 'stuff' the federal government provides for us, we’re going to have to pay for it.
Can Obama win back liberals with his new attack on the GOP?

For months, President Obama heard grumbling from his left. Now he seems to have taken off the gloves – rhetorically, at least – going after Republicans and laying out a more progressive vision.
Bulls, bears...and Chihuahuas?

Chihuahuas enjoy the moments of sunshine before the rain pours. Investors should do the same.
Triangle Shirtwaist fire: Why it inspires plays and poetry readings 100 years later

A defining moment of labor history, the deadly fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York remains a powerful touchstone even after 100 years.
Triangle Shirtwaist fire: 100 years later, how are unions perceived?

The Triangle Shirtwaist fire 100 years ago today gave impetus to the US labor movement, which gathered broad public support. But today, unions aren't seen as positively.
A governor destroys history in the name of promoting business

Maine Governor Paul LePage is one of many Republicans across the country who is assaulting workers' rights and history to encourage business growth.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac 101: How much will we miss them?

The White House proposes to 'wind down' mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But they've been deeply entwined in the US mortgage market for decades. A look at how we got here.
Opinion: Why most Americans are both liberal and conservative

Ideologically, we favor small government. But practically, we defend big-government programs.
Howard Dean says Ronald Reagan had no accomplishments 'for the ages'

Ronald Reagan, said Howard Dean, 'was a great leader, had leadership attributes.' But Dean credited Gorbachev more than the late president, for example, for the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Kate Zernike on "Boiling Mad: Inside Tea Party America"

Journalist Kate Zernike says that many readers of "Boiling Mad" are surprised to discover that the tea partyers sound and look a lot like their neighbors.
Donald Trump for president? Some lessons from other tycoons.

Donald Trump, having signaled he's at least flirting with a presidential run, might consider how other businessmen fared in their bids.
Republican 'tough love' economics: Social Darwinism for the 21st century

Like Herbert Hoover's treasury secretary, House Minority Leader John Boehner thinks tough-love spending cuts will end the recession. It didn't work in 1929 and it won't work today. What it will do is hurt the poorest even more.
New Deal's legacy responsible for today's economy?

As the economy created by government entitlement programs collapses, economists of the Austrian school should speak out.
War spending and the economy: You say boom, I say ka-boom!

Paul Krugman argues that WWII spending bought America out of the Great Depression. But what about the other side? What happened with military spending in Japan?
Labor Day lessons from 1928

Policies that generate more widely shared prosperity lead to stronger and more sustainable economic growth — and that’s good for everyone.
Opinion: Final exams at Harvard are so 20th-century

Harvard University is moving further away from final exams. And that’s a good thing.
Hoover's dam folly: Why Keynesian New Deal policies failed

Politicians cannot calculate the economic profits and losses of government interventions.
After recession, middle and working classes lose ground

A larger and larger share of total income going to the very top while the vast middle class continues to lose ground.
Stimulus vs. austerity: the perennial debate

To avoid a repeat recession, should President Obama spend more, or less?
Opinion: Why less government spending would mean less economic trouble

Many economists say deficit spending is crucial to keeping the economy moving. But history tells a different story.
Gulf spill: Where's the outrage, Mr. Obama?

In the Gulf spill and other recent scandals, President Obama has shown corporate America too much deference.
Brown, Blair, and Labour's legacy in Britain

After a 13-year run, Britain’s Labour Party is out of power. How should we assess its legacy?