Independent Action on Jobs

Submitted by Alan Jenkins on Mon, 06/13/2011 - 10:10pm
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Conservatives in Congress and their echo chamber have backed President Obama, and the American people, into a dangerous corner.  Private sector job creation is desperately needed for our national recovery and to begin rebuilding the economic security of our people.  

Yet for a mix of political and ideological reasons, conservatives are blocking two of the critical steps necessary to achieve that goal: federal investment in private sector job creation and increased tax contributions from the wealthiest and most privileged Americans.  Both are needed in order to get Americans back to work and grow the economy while beginning to reduce the deficit.


A Call to End Indefinite Detention

Submitted by Eliel Talo on Tue, 06/07/2011 - 12:10pm
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Photo by Mark Fischer

The right to due process under the law is a cornerstone of America’s commitment to freedom and fairness. Protections against unfair imprisonment, mistreatment by law enforcement officials, and indefinite detention—guaranteed by the 5th and 6th amendments of the Constitution—are rights that no one living in the United States would or should be expected to go without.


The discussion of the economy, the government and future of our country has dominated public surveys yet again. Here is your guide to them.

Submitted by Eleni Delimpaltadaki on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 4:31pm

The discussion of the economy has dominated public surveys yet again. The Opportunity Agenda presents your guide to them.

By Eleni Delimpaltadaki and Shawnda Chapman

The national deficit


More About Myths and Chickens

Submitted by Alan Jenkins on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 6:48am
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I blog I wrote last month about mythbusting (and chickens) garnered a huge amount of reader interest, questions, and comments.  In this week's post, I respond to some of that input.


A Congratulatory Note to Our New Grads (With a Caveat)

Submitted by Robert Valencia on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 10:31am
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 Photo by Will Folsom

My niece—who is pursuing a degree in psychology—asked me last Sunday to review her essay on the American Dream for one of her English courses. Her essay began explaining what the “American Dream” ought to be: economic mobility, home ownership, and better education. But the remaining two pages offered a gloomy viewpoint: the American Dream has become more and more elusive for her.


Thursday Immigration Blog Round Up

Submitted by Jason Rhee on Wed, 05/04/2011 - 11:08am
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photo by Jason York

Immigration in 2012

President Obama recently announced his intentions to run in the next presidential campaign and immigration will likely be an important issue during the 2012 presidential race.  


The Myth About Myth Busting

Submitted by Alan Jenkins on Mon, 05/02/2011 - 11:49pm
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So I’m trying to convince my wife that we should raise chickens in our back yard—it’s a suburban Green Acres thing, you might not understand. She has been, shall we say, cool to the idea, despite my promises of fresh eggs, cute chicks, and benefits to the environment.

Fortunately, I found and ordered online a copy of Backyard Poultry magazine. Seriously. And the cover story? “Seven Myths Surrounding Urban Chickens.” Technically, of course, my chickens would be sub-urban. But it still seemed like a stroke of luck.


Social Media, Opportunity, and Time 100

Submitted by Robert Valencia on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 12:36pm
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Photo by Philippe Martin

Most recently, Time magazine revealed yet another list of the world’s most influential people in the world, and this time Wael Ghonim, a Google executive from Egypt, is at the helm of this selected group thanks to his active participation during the revolts against the Hosni Mubarak regime by way of social media tools—primarily Facebook. What’s more, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg made the cut for this list (his second mention in a row on this publication after being selected “Person of the Year” in 2010). Finally, Google’s CEO Larry Page was also included.


A Courageous and Compassionate Voice Leaves Us

Submitted by Ross Mudrick on Wed, 04/27/2011 - 1:57pm
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Last week, Hazel Dickens, who dedicated her life to using song to give voice to the voiceless, died at the age of 75.  Dickens’ voice was wholly her own, bearing all the traces of her hardscrabble mountain upbringing, and her passing is a great loss to American culture as well as the movement to expand to create full and equal opportunity.


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