The economic recovery has begun. Or so we're told. The Dow has risen well past 10,000 again and the big banks have started paying back those government loans. Why then are so many people still suffering? The simple answer is jobs - or the lack of them.

More than one...

Some who are born to privilege spend their lives blind to the hardships of others. A few, like Senator Kennedy, become giants because they reach beyond their good fortune to insist that all should be able to count on opportunity and economic security.

Senator Kennedy understood the blessings of service...

Imagine it's the year 2020. The United States has had greatly expanded health coverage for more than a decade. Things were going quite well for a number of years, but now the costs are starting to outstrip federal revenues. When the health care legislation was enacted, special interests successfully opposed...

May is Older Americans Month. While there is much to celebrate about our elders' many historic contributions, the recession's toll is making this group - particularly older women - feel anything but festive.

Consider these disturbing facts:
• According to the most recent federal data, 23 percent of women...

President Obama's order this week to cut $100 million in administrative costs from federal programs over the next 90 days sends an important message. As the President acknowledged himself, the $100 million is more a tone-setter than a meaningful sum in a federal budget of over $3 trillion. Instead, his...

As the House and Senate Budget Committees begin work this week on their versions of the Congressional Budget Resolution, the usual suspects are lining up to oppose proposals that would pay for health care reform, reduce global warming, create more jobs and improve our education system. Beyond the expected Republican...