Author: David Sirota
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SIROTA: Republicans wage an assault on Democracy
When the Senate minority leader of the United States calls something “a genuine threat to our country,” everyone — regardless of party — should listen. Even in the post-9/11 era of overheated language and hyperpartisanship, that kind of declaration from such a powerful public official is not to be taken lightly. So, what horrible menace…
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SIROTA: Death panels make blood-curdling decisions
Remember the good ol’ days when Republicans were running around the country screaming that Democrats’ proposal to fund voluntary end-of-life counseling would somehow create a government-sanctioned death panel? Ooh, boy, the Heartland was ablaze back then. Wracked by anger at a Democrat occupying the White House, an enraged Middle America was genuinely scared about the…
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SIROTA: Ten years later, it’s time to explain 9/11 to the next generation
Ten years ago this week, I, like many living in Washington at the time, was fleeing my office building. In those minutes of mayhem, I knew only what the police were screaming: Get out fast, because we’re being attacked by terrorists. In the years since 9/11, we’ve learned a lot about that awful day —…
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SIROTA: Invasion of things not ‘made in the USA’ is happening now
Many economic Nostradamuses have long predicted that the epitaph on America’s tombstone will ultimately read, “Made In China.” But casual observers probably didn’t think the funeral procession would happen this fast. In the last year, though, most have wised up. Thanks to a spate of mind-blowing headlines, we are learning that the Chinese invasion isn’t…
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SIROTA: Obama is many things, including a Bizarro FDR
Barack Obama is a lot of things — eloquent, dissembling, conniving, intelligent and above all, calm. But one thing he is not is weak. This basic truth is belied by the meager Obama criticism you occasionally hear from liberal pundits and activists. They usually stipulate that the president genuinely wants to enact the progressive agenda…
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SIROTA: Tale of the recession-era diet shows a new politics of food
The easiest way to explain Gallup’s discovery that millions of Americans are eating fewer fruits and vegetables than they ate last year is to simply crack a snarky joke about Whole Foods really being “Whole Paycheck.” Rooted in the old limousine liberal iconography, the quip conjures the notion that only Birkenstock-wearing trust-funders can afford to…
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SIROTA: Why don’t we follow Finland’s example in education?
When I heard the news last week that the Department of Education is aiming to subject 4-year-olds to high-stakes testing, all I could do is shake my head in disbelief and despondently mutter a slightly altered riff off Walter Sobchak of “The Big Lebowski.” Four-year-olds, dude. You don’t have to be as dyspeptic as Walter…
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SIROTA: Shining a spotlight on the corporate compensation gap
We’ve long known that executive pay has skyrocketed during the past 40 years — and especially during the past 20. As the Economic Policy Institute has reported, the average CEO makes roughly 300 times the average worker — up from 100 times the average in the early 1990s and 40 times the average in the…
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SIROTA: America’s energy ethos disregards consequences
Laugh me off as the idealistic son of a physician (which I am), but I still thought the doctor’s ethos of “first do no harm” was a notion we could all agree on. Even in this hyper-polarized Era of the Screaming Red-Faced Partisan, I thought we would witness the recent Fukushima reactor meltdown or footage…
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SIROTA: Cutting kids’ health care will make deficits bigger
In the name of curtailing deficits, politicians across the country are hacking away at programs that aim to make children healthier. In Congress, for example, House Republicans are spearheading a budget that eviscerates funding for food assistance and effectively defunds the wildly successful Children’s Health Insurance Program. Similarly, from Texas to California, state lawmakers are…