Spotlight

TCF Task Force on Community Colleges

TCF has assembled a Task Force called Preventing Community Colleges from Becoming Separate and Unequalto consider strategies to strengthen community colleges. The group will address the issue that has remained below the radar screen in discussions over improving college access and completion. Learn more about the Task Force in this press release. The Washington Post's Think Tanked Blog writes a piece on the Task Force.

Photo: NoDivision

After the Veto, What Next on Syria?

The failed vote in the U.N. Security Council Saturday on a resolution committing the United Nations to the Arab League’s Syria transition plan opens the door to an international free-for-all in which Syrian factions enlist foreign patrons.  Read senior fellow Jeffrey Laurenti's analysis of the situation, "After the Veto, What Next on Syria?" in Blog of the Century.

Photo by Maggie Osama

U.S. Hypocrisy Starves North Korea

Amidst all the speculation about the future of North Korea’s leadership, a critical problem remains unresolved: the country has a major food problem affecting its most vulnerable and poorest populations, which even Pyongyang acknowledges could result in another humanitarian disaster. Morton Abramowitz continues his series on this issue in National Interest.

Photo: Stephan

How "Occupy Our Homes" Can Win

Since most of the original Occupy encampments were evicted by wintertime, the question now is, what's next for activists? One suggestion is "Occupy Our Homes," a campaign in which occupiers  would do actions at foreclosed houses or at bailed-out banks that are throwing people out of their homes. TCF fellow Amy Dean interviews anti-eviction organizer Steve Meacham in, How "Occupy Our Homes" Can Win.

Photo by Brennan Cavanaugh

Cutting and Running in Afghanistan

In 2008, candidate Obama ran on a platform of more fully resourcing the war in Afghanistan. Within mere weeks of taking office Obama approved sending 17,000 troops to the war. Read Michael Cohen's analysis on why cutting and running in Afghanistan is good politics for Obama, in Foreign Policy. He discusses his points on Blog of the Century.

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Navigating Arabs' Syria Roadmap through the U.N.

Any time that foreign ministers flock en masse to New York for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, the best political theater in town is sure to play out, eight blocks east of Broadway.    For the full account of the debate read Jeffrey Laurenti's, "Navigating Arabs' Syria Roadmap through the U.N." in Blog of the Century. It was also published in Huffington Post.

Security Council photo by François @ Edito.qc.ca

7 Positive Ways to Secure Our Economic Future

Century Foundation Fellow Mark Thoma is often asked how to restore jobs that provide hope and opportunity in the American economy. In his piece in The Fiscal Times Thoma offers, "7 Positive Ways to Secure Our Economic Future."

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The Romney Rule?

In his SOTU address, President Obama defined the Buffett Rule and said households making more than $1 million a year, should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes. The Buffett Rule was inspired by Warren Buffett urging policymakers to stop the tax code that favors capital income over labor income. Just before Obama’s speech, Mitt Romney released his 2010 tax returns and unveiled a 13.9 percent tax rate paid on $21.7 million of income. Andrew Fieldhouse says this proves the need for the Buffet Rule, or is that now the Romney Rule?

Photo: Creative Commons

Charles Murray, David Brooks, & Sophistry

Greg Anrig disagrees with David Brooks' claim that Charles Murray's "Coming Apart: The State of White America'' is one of the most important books of the year. Murray is  co-author of the widely debunked, endlessly discussed best-seller "The Bell Curve," which argued that genetic differences play a role in explaining racial variations on IQ tests.  Read Anrig's take in Blog of the Century's Charles Murray, David Brooks, and Sophistry.

Photo: Truthout.org

A Quiet Triumph of Obama Care

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), enacted with only Democratic votes by the scarcest of margins in 2010, remains a complex, highly controversial piece of legislation with outcomes and costs that remain to be seen in the years ahead. Read The Washington Monthly piece by Harold Pollack and Greg Anrig, "A Quiet Triumph of Obama Care."

Graph of the Day: Union Numbers Grew but at a Low

Union membership grew in 2011, but remains at an historic low despite ongoing government cutbacks and a series of threats from states seeking to limit collective bargaining rights. To get all the data read Benjamin Landy's, "Graph of the Day: Union Membership Grew in 2011, But Remains at Historic Low."

Richard Kahlenberg on CUNY's City Talk

Richard D. Kahlenberg, senior fellow at The Century Foundation discusses his book "Tough Liberal: Albert Shanker and the Battles Over Schools, Unions, Race and Democracy" on CUNY's City Talk, hosted by Professor Doug Muzzio, co-director of the Center for the Study of Leadership in Government and the founder and former director of the Baruch College Survey Research Unit. View the show here.

A Test for Egypt: Hearing All Voices

The fate of one man can sometimes clarify the deepest flaws of a government and of the society it rules. In Egypt, on the anniversary of its uprising against Hosni Mubarak, that man is Maikel Nabil Sanad. Read Fellow Michael Wahid Hanna's op-ed, "A Test for Egypt: Hearing All Voices" in the New York Times.

Photo by sierragoddess

Paul Krugman Cites Greg Anrig on Capital Gains

Paul Krugman wrote a post on his NYT Conscience of a Liberal blog about "The Dubious Case for Privileging Capital Gains," responding to readers' request for arguments against the tax code treating income from capital gains  differently than ordinary income. Krugman cites TCF's Greg Anrig's Blog of the Century post, "10 Reasons to Eliminate the Tax Break for Capital Gains."

Photo: Creative Commons

PolicyCast: New Fellows Join TCF

Get to know our new fellows by listening to them on TCF's Podcast:

Daniel Alpert, Michael Cohen, Amy B. Dean, Suzanne Mettler, Mark Thoma

Afghanistan: Negotiating Peace

With paths opening for U.S.-Taliban talks,  people are talking of the prospects for a political solution in Afghanistan. TCF's international task force, under the leadership of  Lakhdar Brahimi and Thomas Pickering discussed what kind of political path might lead to ending the conflict as the authors helped pave the way to the  solutions discussed today. See task force member James Dobbins'  piece in the Washington Post and Board of Trustee  member John Podesta's article in Foreign Policy.

Investing in America’s Economy

The Century Foundation, Demos, and EPI and have produced a budget blueprint for economic recovery and fiscal responsibility. Follow TCF's work here.

Read the press reaction to the blueprint: Jonathan Cohn; Paul Krugman; Ezra Klein; David Wessel; Jackie Calmes, Matt Yglesias .