News & Stories

Social Security is a promise made to all Americans. This month, Social Security turns 75 years old, and people all across the nation are honoring its great history with parties and events. In the lead-up to these events, the Alliance for Retired Americans invites you to share with us how Social Security has made a […]

Or as the Slate.com DoubleX blog puts it: Yes, You Can Get Fired After Taking Maternity Leave: The confusing state of family-leave policies. Sandy Stephens got pregnant when she was working in housekeeping for a company known as Global NAPs Inc. in Massachusetts. Her supervisor at the small telecommunications firm had told her that she […]

Katie Baird with the Tacoma News Tribune: Should we be upset that Congress has just promised Washington an extra $526 million? Not I, nor, I think, will others whose kids go to our public schools, who use Medicaid for health insurance or have a parent in a nursing home, or who otherwise support the wide […]

The Puget Sound Business Journal‘s Greg Lamm just published a four question Q&A with Jay Turley, a certified financial planner at Breakwater Investment Management.  Lamm asks how I-1098 would affect Turley’s clients, many of whom are high-net worth individuals, should it pass. This particular article isn’t behind the Journal’s paywall, so you can read the […]

While “I’ve got mine” is an easy attitude to cop, there’s evidence that getting ahead alone isn’t as beneficial to you as making sure others can do the same. The national discussion over a minimum paid sick days work standard offers insight into why that is the case. First, consider this question posed by Scope […]

Sightline Daily spells out how a recent Seattle Times editorial sows confusion about Initiative 1098: Here’s what the paper says: The new tax created by I-1098 would top out at 9 percent of adjusted gross income, with no deductions. That’s not quite the highest rate in the country: Oregon’s, at 11 percent, is at the […]

Via Government is Good: The popular view of government is that of low-achieving screw-up. When asked, “When the government in Washington decides to solve a problem, how much confidence do you have that the problem will be solved?” only four percent of Americans said “a lot.” Sixty-four percent said “none at all” or “just a […]

Voter, educate thyself! State law mandates that the Office of Financial Management (in consultation with other state offices) develop a fiscal impact statement for every statewide ballot initiative. The analysis of Initiative 1098 has just been released — highlights follow, with a link to the complete report below. Major findings from the OFM report include:

From the Economic Policy Institute: Social Security is financially sound through 2036, and modest increases in revenue can close the shortfall expected in 2037, according to a new analysis from researchers at the Economic Policy Institute, including former Chief Actuary of Social Security Harry C. Ballantyne. Furthermore, Social Security cannot add to public debt over […]

From Early Ed Watch: This is the second in a series of podcasts this summer on California’s laws for extended-time off, with a special focus on the state’s paid family leave program that enables new parents to take time off from work to bond with their babies. In this podcast, New America’s David Gray talks […]

Every year, the Social Security Trustees are required by law to project the program’s finances 75 years into the future. Doing so requires making numerous assumptions about productivity, economic growth, wages, fertility, longevity, immigration rates, and other factors. Often thought of as simply a retirement system, Social Security provides benefits to millions of disabled workers […]

By Stan Sorscher, from the Huffington Post: As the economy struggles, we are told that education will be the key to renewed prosperity. So, I was quite surprised to read in the New York Times about a mother who was accused of over-investing in her daughter’s college education, by borrowing to send her to NYU. […]

Via Columbia Journalism Review: Slowly, ever so slowly, the mainstream media is discovering the Social Security story. So it’s worth noting two pieces in prominent news outlets this week: one on Businessweek.com by Chris Farrell, a contributing economics editor for Bloomberg Businessweek, and the other in USA Today. It’s refreshing to see Farrell’s piece, because […]

From the Everett Herald: This past month I flew back to Vermont, where my dad lives. He is 91 years old now, and just broke his hip. So he has a long recovery in front of him, and I was there to help him along and bolster his spirits when he needed some encouragement. My […]

An anecdote is a useful way to breathe emotional life into important facts. But what if neither the story nor the facts pass the red face test? Case in point: Richard Davis at WashACE, who in his zeal to attack Initiative 1098, would have you believe LeBron James is more interested in his tax bill […]

Via Government is Good: Ask yourself this question: “What has government done for me lately?” If you are like most Americans, you will probably answer: “Not much.”  Many people feel like they pay a lot in taxes but don’t really get anything back from government.  Surveys show that 52% of Americans believe that “government programs […]

Via the New America Foundation: In 2004, California enacted the nation’s first paid family leave program,  which enables parents to take up to six weeks off to bond with a new child and still receive a paycheck for that period. The program is part of the state’s disability insurance system and funded through an employee […]

Senate Appropriations Committee includes $10 million for state paid family leave programs: In its draft budget, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has included $10 million to help states cover start-up costs for paid family leave programs. It’s not the full $50 million that President Obama proposed, and the federal budget process isn’t finished yet, but […]

From the Seattle Times: Tasha West-Baker can make you a latte, slice your lunch meat or make you a cake at Safeway. And she could make your entire family ill for days. West-Baker doesn’t get paid sick days from the grocery chain, where she has worked for seven years. She works four days a week […]

From the Public News Service: With real estate values still low in most of the country, a new investment device has surfaced – and a coalition of consumer groups and real estate industry organizations is sounding an alarm. “Private transfer fee covenants” are being placed on homes by investors and developers. They require a percentage […]

One way to determine how I-1098’s proposed income tax compares to other states is to calculate and compare the effective tax rate for an individual filer at a particular income level, as we’ve already done here. But another way is to compare I-1098’s effective tax rate for a particular percentage of income earners across all […]

From the Baltimore Business Journal: The Baltimore City Council is considering a new law to guarantee that the city’s major retailers, like Walmart and 7-Eleven, pay employees decent, living wages. It’s smart economic development policy: full-time retail workers would see around $100 more in their paychecks each week, boosting consumer spending just when the city’s […]

Due to large crowds at the first two public meetings, state officials have decided to move the last two meetings, July 27th in Vancouver and July 29th In Spokane, to larger venues. Officials also shortened presentations by OFM staffers at the beginning of the meeting, allowing more time for public comment. The new locations: July […]

BAm! Radio recently hosted Linda Darling-Hammond, the Stanford University researcher and professor, and John R. Burbank, the executive director of the Economic Opportunity Institute in Seattle, and the two discussed how early teacher training and support starts in Finland, and why it is considered so effective. Their conversation civers everything from the education and training […]

From In These Times: As the planet’s economy keeps stumbling, the phrase “worst recession since the Great Depression” has become the new “global war on terror” — a term whose overuse has rendered it both meaningless and acronym-worthy. And just like that previously ubiquitous phrase, references to the WRSTGD are almost always followed by flimsy […]

From the Everett Herald: As the recession continues bumping along, tax receipts are continuing to fall behind what’s needed to sustain public investments in education, health care and public safety. The most recent state forecast projects a $3 billion revenue shortfall over the next two years. The governor has responded with a call for “transforming […]