Dollars & Sense articles from May 2005

Dollars & Sense archives from May 2005

From the editors.(Private pensions)(Editorial)
May 1, 2005... We don't want to sound like a broken record, but... Social Security, Social Security, Social Security. Despite broad public opposition to the Bush "reform" proposals, Congress is poised to consider them in June. And the president has just...

Take a pill, help save an endangered species.(the short run)(Humor)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Extinction is no laughing matter, but there are some entertaining suggestions floating around to help protect endangered species. Many endangered animals, including black bears, rhinoceroses, macaques, seahorses, and sea turtles, are poached...

Heroism, loyalty, honor: priceless?(the short run)(Military medals (marketing))(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Why bother performing meritorious service in Iraq when U.S. military medals are available for sale to anyone via the web. At Military.com, the self-proclaimed "largest online military destination," shoppers can choose from a variety of medals...

Stick a fork in it, baby, the environment is done!(the short run)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Worried that by the time George Bush leaves office, you'll need an oxygen mask and SPF 3000 sunblock just to spend any time outside? Here is yet another cause for concern: the new Secretary of Energy, Samuel Bodman. Before he joined the Bush...

Right-wing fundraising coup.(the short run)(Terri Schiavo case)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The controversy this spring over the removal of Floridian Terry Schiavo's feeding tube created some strange bedfellows. Although most of those who rallied to the side of Schiavo's parents apparently did so out of conservative religious...

Stuffed ... literally.(the short run)(Force-feeding of ducks and geese)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... If you're planning to dine on foie gras, you may not want to read on. The treatment of the birds used in the production of this delicacy is so atrocious that Massachusetts, New York, and Illinois all have legislation under consideration to ban...

GOP and dems duking it out in ... India?(the short run)
May 1, 2005... The free-market set often defends outsourcing by claiming that outsourced jobs are ones that Americans don't want anyway. Who knew that Americans don't want to work on their own political campaigns? Last July the Michigan GOP accused the...

Economic theory vs. reality.(the short run)(Tsunami (economic impact))(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Strange juxtapositions are to be found in the coverage of the South Asian tsunami. The Asian Development Bank, hardly a left-wing outfit, reports that the tsunami "could throw nearly 2 million additional people into poverty." At the same time,...

The price of beauty?(the short run)(Phthalates (toxic ingredients))(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Industrial chemicals known as phthalates ("tha-lates"), used as fixatives in hundreds of cosmetics, have been shown to cause birth defects, hormonal disorders, and reproductive system problems in animals. Phthalates are sufficiently toxic that...

Top ten reasons not to regulate dangerous chemicals in cosmetics.(Cartoon)
May 1, 2005... 3 REGULATING DANGEROUS CHEMICALS IN MAKEUP IS A SLIPPERY SLOPE TOWARDS REGULATING DANGEROUS CHEMICALS IN OUR FOOD AND WATER. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 5 AN...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... To the Editor: I was greatly intrigued by the project laid out in America Beyond Capitalism, and I hope to get hold of the book. However, I also have a question. Historically, any elected government that has sincerely attempted to...

Florida's low-wage workers get a pay raise: one red state voted overwhelmingly to support a wage hike for minimum wage workers.(active culture)
May 1, 2005... In March, the Senate defeated Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-Mass.) proposal to hike the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour. It was a setback, coming at a time when the real value of the federal minimum wage has hit a low point. Today, a...

New man at the World Bank.(comment)(Paul D. Wolfowitz)
May 1, 2005... Widely known as the architect of one of the most controversial U.S. wars, he became a symbol of an aggressive military approach to foreign affairs. Against widespread international opposition, he pushed ahead with an essentially unilateral U.S....

When bad things happen to good pensions.
May 1, 2005... February was a momentous month for American workers' retirement security. Just days after President Bush called for the partial privatization of Social Security, his administration proposed major modifications to the system that guarantees...

Social Security Q & A: separating fact from fiction.
May 1, 2005... The president just completed his 60-day, 35-state tour to spread fear over the financial solvency of the Social Security system and promote his plan to allow workers to divert nearly a third of the 12.4% Social Security payroll tax into private...

Latin America's left off track: Latin America has a new crop of leftist leaders, but their macroeconomic policies are sadly familiar.
May 1, 2005... For several years, electoral results in Latin America have been shifting leftward. The victory of Tabare Vazquez in Uruguay is the most recent example; the list also includes Nestor Kirchner in Argentina, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil,...

Indies unleashed: independent documentaries take on the multinational media empires that run Hollywood.
May 1, 2005... 2004 was a banner year for documentary films. Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 shattered all box office records on its way to becoming the top grossing documentary of all time (it took in over $100 million dollars at the domestic box office)....

Unequal recovery: unemployment rates show African Americans losing ground while whites regain their footing.(economy in numbers)
May 1, 2005... The current economic recovery has been called many things, especially "jobless" and "wageless." But the recovery has also been exceedingly unequal. Although the recession ended in late 2001, and despite overall job growth and improvements in...