America’s Not Broke. Not Even Close. Tax the Rich!

Overall average individual wealth in the United States has risen 23 percent
since the year 2000, to $236,213 per American adult. But, wealth has
become incredibly more concentrated. We are taxing the dollars that go to
our ever-richer rich at levels far below the tax rates that America levied just
a few decades ago. Now, both an analysis of our current predicament and
a series of proposals that can help open our eyes to a far more equitable —
and brighter — future,

with
Meizhu Lui, Director of Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative,
Insight Center for Community Economic Development
and
Chuck Collins, a senior scholar, Institute for Policy Studies (IPS)
and Director of IPS’s Program on Inequality and the Common Good.
Co-author of the recent report, Unnecessary Austerity, Unnecessary
Government Shutdown.

play stream or
download

Read More...

Economic Recovery Leaves Workers Behind?
with
. Heidi Shierholz, Economic Policy Institute
. Meizhu Lui, Dir., Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative,
Insight Center for Community & Economic Development
. Avis Jones-DeWeever, Dir., National Council of Negro
Women’s Research, Public Policy & Information Center

They say the economy may be bouncing back – but not for the
workers. Unemployment reestablished its relentless upward
climb in August, with the “official rate” rising to 9.7% with
significantly higher levels for people of color & young workers.
Unemployment, much of it long term, will likely pass 10% by the
end of the year and remain elevated for years. Further, for those
that have jobs, wage growth slowed dramatically plus income
and assets inequality is getting worse. Predictably, poverty
is increasing for the unemployed and even workers with jobs.

Play or download

Read More...