The Century Foundation

The Century Foundation http://tcf.org/rss-2/rss 2010-07-21T20:11:31Z vice Iran Will Strike Back urn:syndication:9b8df957-4eaf-11e1-bd8a-002219154821 http://www.insideiran.org/news/iran-will-strike-back/#.TywhcRq3XNY.twitter Read the latest articles in insideIRAN. 2012-02-03T21:35:41Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p>Read the latest articles in insideIRAN. </p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/in-the-news/2012/1/iran-will-strike-back/image" /> <span></span> </div> <p>http://www.insideiran.org/news/iran-will-strike-back/#.TywhcRq3XNY.twitter</p> <div><p>Read the latest articles in insideIRAN.</p></div> </body> </html> Century Foundation Convenes National Task Force on Community Colleges urn:syndication:9b92dff0-4eaf-11e1-a9db-002219154821 http://tcf.org/blogs/blog-of-the-century/6a00e54ffb96988833016300a6db1f970d In his State of the Union Address, President Obama described the important role community colleges play in building a competitive workforce.... 2012-02-03T21:33:58Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p> In his State of the Union Address, President Obama described the important role community colleges play in building a competitive workforce....</p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/blogs/blog-of-the-century/6a00e54ffb96988833016300a6db1f970d/image" /> <span></span> </div> <div><p>In his <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/25/president-obama-state-union" target="_self">State of the Union</a> Address, President Obama described the important role community colleges play in building a competitive workforce. However, just as community colleges are being asked to do more than ever before, the racial and socioeconomic divide between two- and four-year institutions is growing.</p> <p>To address this critical issue, The Century Foundation is <a href="http://tcf.org/media-center/2012/century-foundation-convenes-national-task-force-to-recommend-ways-to-strengthen-community-colleges" target="_self">assembling a task force</a> of distinguished individuals from two-year and four-year institutions, scholars of higher education, and representatives of the business, philanthropic, and civil rights communits to consider strategies to strengthen community colleges. The group will be co-chaired by <a href="http://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/leadership/marx" target="_self">Anthony Marx</a>, president of the New York Public Library and former president of Amherst College, and <a href="http://www.mdc.edu/main/about/college_president.asp" target="_self">Eduardo Padrón</a>, the president of Miami Dade College.</p> <p><a href="http://tcf.org/about/fellows/richard-d.-kahlenberg-senior-fellow" target="_self">Richard D. Kahlenberg</a>, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation and the author of several volumes on inequality in both higher education and K–12 schooling, will serve as executive director of the Task Force.  He commented, “It’s disturbing to see that just as elementary and secondary education are becoming increasingly segregated by race and income, the same thing is happening in higher education.  The Task Force members have a considerable wealth of experience and wisdom, and I look forward to working with them to assemble recommendations on how to strengthen the community college sector.”</p> <p><a href="http://tcf.org/publications/pdfs/CCCPR.pdf/++atfield++file">See PDF release for list of Task Force members.</a></p></div> </body> </html> Century Foundation Convenes National Task Force to Recommend Ways to Strengthen Community Colleges urn:syndication:1abd6fca-4de5-11e1-bf67-002219154821 http://tcf.org/media-center/2012/century-foundation-convenes-national-task-force-to-recommend-ways-to-strengthen-community-colleges Panel Will Seek to Address Growing Racial and Economic Divide between Two- and Four-Year Institutions 2012-02-03T21:32:37Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p>Panel Will Seek to Address Growing Racial and Economic Divide between Two- and Four-Year Institutions </p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/media-center/2012/century-foundation-convenes-national-task-force-to-recommend-ways-to-strengthen-community-colleges/image" /> <span></span> </div> <div><p><b>February 2, 2012––</b>As the United States seeks to restore its role as the world’s leader in higher education, there is a renewed emphasis on increasing graduation from two-year institutions. Most recently, President Barack Obama described the important role of community colleges in his State of the Union address.</p> <p>The Century Foundation is assembling a task force of distinguished individuals from two-year and four-year institutions, scholars of higher education, and representatives of the business, philanthropic, and civil rights communities to consider strategies to strengthen community colleges. The group will be co-chaired by Anthony Marx, president of the New York Public Library and former president of Amherst College, and Eduardo Padrón, the president of Miami Dade College.</p> <p>The Task Force on Preventing Community Colleges from Becoming Separate and Unequal, which is supported by the Ford Foundation, will address an issue that has remained below the radar screen in national and regional discussions over improving college access and completion: just as community colleges are being asked to do more than ever before, the racial and socioeconomic divide between two- and four-year institutions is growing.</p> <p>“Community colleges should be open to, and attractive to, students of all economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds,” said Padrón. “While two-year institutions must always provide access to low-income and working-class students, community colleges need to find ways to recruit middle-class students as well, or the political and financial support for the two-year sector will continue to decline.”</p> <p>The larger issue, Marx suggested, is this: “Will higher education reduce or exacerbate the growing economic divide in this nation?” He continued, “If the better funded four-year sector caters to wealthier white students, while community colleges lose funding to educate low-income and minority students, the two-year sector will remain separate and unequal.”</p> <p>Janice Nittoli, the president of The Century Foundation, said that Padrón and Marx were a perfect team to lead the task force. “Eduardo Padrón has been a brilliant and innovative leader of the nation’s largest institution of higher education,” she said, “and Tony Marx, as president of Amherst, has been the conscience of the four-year sector, helping to put the issue of socioeconomic diversity and community college transfers on the national agenda. He is showing that same commitment to increasing access to our cultural and learning institutions in his leadership role at the New York Public Library. We’re thrilled to have the two of them co-chair this new task force.”</p> <p>Jeannie Oakes and Douglas Wood of the Ford Foundation said the task force was an important step. “There’s a stratification trend in higher education around the world,” Oakes said. “This task force will help bring that trend to light, document the challenges associated with it, and recommend ways that institutions can overcome it.” Added Wood: “The two-year sector educates an increasing number of American students. It’s essential that we find ways to strengthen it so that these students have more opportunities, not fewer.”</p> <p>The Task Force will have its first meeting on February 17, 2012. The meeting will include a special presentation by U.S. Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter. The Task Force will also hold meetings in May and September, after which it will issue a report with recommendations and background papers.</p> <p>Richard D. Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation and the author of several volumes on inequality in both higher education and K–12 schooling, will serve as executive director of the Task Force. He commented, “It’s disturbing to see that just as elementary and secondary education are becoming increasingly segregated by race and income, the same thing is happening in higher education. The Task Force members have a considerable wealth of experience and wisdom, and I look forward to working with them to assemble recommendations on how to strengthen the community college sector.”</p> <p>A list of Task Force members can be found <a class="external-link" href="../../publications/pdfs/CCCPR.pdf/++atfield++file">here.</a></p> <p>The Task Force on Preventing Community Colleges from Becoming Separate and Unequal is the latest in a long series of groups that The Century Foundation has assembled on important public policy issues such as election reform, elementary and secondary education, and U.S. policy in Afghanistan.</p> <p>The Century Foundation is a progressive nonpartisan think tank. Originally known as the Twentieth Century Fund, it was founded in 1919 and initially endowed by Edward Filene, a leading Republican businessman and champion of fair workplaces and employee ownership strategies, all with an eye to ensuring that economic opportunity is available to all. Today, TCF issues analyses and convenes and promotes the best thinkers and thinking across a range of public policy questions. Its work today focuses on issues of equity and opportunity in the United States, and how American values can be best sustained and advanced in a world of more diffuse power.</p> <p>For media inquiries about the Task Force, contact Christy Hicks at (212) 452-7723. For more information on The Century Foundation and its work, please visit <a href="http://www.tcf.org/" target="_blank">www.tcf.org</a>. You can keep up with the latest news from Century by signing up for our <a href="../../about/">mailing list</a>, following us on<a class="external-link" href="https://twitter.com/#!/tcfdotorg"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Twitter @tcfdotorg</span></a> and joining our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCenturyFoundation" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page at <a href="http://www.tcf.org/">www.tcf.org</a>.</p> <p><a class="external-link" href="../../publications/pdfs/CCCPR.pdf/++atfield++file">See PDF release for list of Task Force members. </a></p></div> </body> </html> Cutting and Running in Afghanistan urn:syndication:90bcd6b3-4e7d-11e1-8159-002219154821 http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/02/02/premature_evacuation?page=0,1 Fellow Michael Cohen writes in Foreign Policy on what makes good politics for Obama. 2012-02-03T21:31:18Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p>Fellow Michael Cohen writes in Foreign Policy on what makes good politics for Obama.</p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/in-the-news/2012/2/cutting-and-running-in-afghanistan/image" /> <span></span> </div> <p>http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/02/02/premature_evacuation?page=0,1</p> <div><p>Fellow Michael Cohen writes in <i>Foreign Policy</i> on what makes good politics for Obama.</p></div> </body> </html> Cutting and Running in Afghanistan urn:syndication:3cf8baa8-4eca-11e1-81cf-002219154821 http://tcf.org/blogs/blog-of-the-century/6a00e54ffb969888330167619dba69970b Over at Foreign Policy I have a new post up looking at the politics of Afghanistan withdrawal - and why ending not one not two wars a year... 2012-02-03T21:28:36Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p> Over at Foreign Policy I have a new post up looking at the politics of Afghanistan withdrawal - and why ending not one not two wars a year...</p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/blogs/blog-of-the-century/6a00e54ffb969888330167619dba69970b/image" /> <span></span> </div> <div><p>Over at Foreign Policy <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/02/02/premature_evacuation" target="_self">I have a new post up</a> looking at the politics of Afghanistan withdrawal - and why ending not one not two wars a year before a presidential election is basically unheard of:</p> <p>Barack Obama is nothing if not a trailblazing politician -- after all, when you're the first African-American elected to the nation's highest office, breaking the mold is sort of part of your political DNA. However, with the announcement by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on Tuesday, Feb. 1, that the Obama administration intends to end combat operations in Afghanistan in mid-2013 he is laying out another unique course -- seeking re-election this November as the architect of two drawdowns of U.S. military engagements. This is the kind of thing doesn't happen too often in American politics.</p> <p>You can read the whole thing <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/02/02/premature_evacuation" target="_self">here</a>.</p> <p>But there is one smaller point I wanted to reference. Check out what <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/mitt-romney-calls-leon-panettas-withdrawal-announcement-misguided/" target="_self">Mitt Romney</a> had to say about Panetta's announcement:</p> <p>“The president’s mistakes, some of them are calculated on a philosophy that’s hard to understand and, sometimes, you scratch you head and say: How can he be so misguided and so naive?”</p> <p>“Today, his secretary of defense unleashed such a policy,” said Romney. “The secretary of defense said that on a day certain, the middle of 2013, we’re going to pull out our combat troops from Afghanistan.”</p> <p>He announced that. So the Taliban hears it, the Pakistanis hear it, the Afghan leaders hear it,” said Romney. “Why in the world do you go to the people that you’re fighting with and tell them the date you’re pulling out your troops? It makes absolutely no sense.”</p> <p>First of all it's not true that the US is going to pull out combat troops in 2013; rather the US is going to be shifting away from a combat mission in 2013. That's an important distinction.</p> <p>But here's the interesting part - look at what <a href="http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1106/13/se.02.html" target="_self">Romney said</a> in June 2011 at a Republican debate:</p> <p>It's time for us to bring our troops home <b>as soon as we possibly can</b>, consistent with the word that comes to our generals that we can hand the country over to the Taliban military in a way that they're able to defend themselves.</p> <p>I suppose in fairness Romney didn't reveal the date that US troops would be leaving as soon as possible so I suppose he is in the clear here.</p> <p> </p></div> </body> </html> Harvard and the American Dream urn:syndication:9b00f187-4ebf-11e1-92c0-002219154821 http://tcf.org/blogs/blog-of-the-century/6a00e54ffb969888330167619d68fc970b In his latest blog for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Century Foundation Senior Fellow Richard D. Kahlenberg uses new data on the financial... 2012-02-03T21:26:59Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p> In his latest blog for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Century Foundation Senior Fellow Richard D. Kahlenberg uses new data on the financial...</p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/blogs/blog-of-the-century/6a00e54ffb969888330167619d68fc970b/image" /> <span></span> </div> <div><p>In his latest blog for <i>The Chronicle of Higher Education, </i>Century Foundation Senior Fellow Richard D. Kahlenberg uses new data on the financial background of Harvard undergraduates to explain why financial aid alone is not enough to guarantee low-income students access to selective colleges and universities. He writes:</p> <blockquote> <p>A <a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/1/26/diversity-lack-figures-evidence-harvard/" target="_blank">new analysis </a>of data by Justin Lanning in the<i> Harvard Crimson</i>, found that in the 2010-11 academic year, almost half (45.6 percent) of Harvard undergraduates came from families with incomes above $200,000 a year, a level of affluence that only 3.8 percent of American households enjoy. Only about 4 percent of Harvard undergraduates came from the bottom quintile of U.S. incomes, he notes, and 82.2 percent came from the richest two-fifths of the population…</p> <p>Harvard’s record tells us something about the insufficiency of addressing financial-aid concerns alone in giving students from all backgrounds a shot at attending selective colleges. Even the most generous financial-aid program is meaningless for students who aren’t admitted in the first place. Selective universities seeking diversity should more aggressively<a href="publications/2004/1/pb428/" target="_blank"> count obstacles overcome</a> as an element of merit in admissions decisions. And they should end <a href="publications/2010/9/affirmative-action-for-the-rich-legacy-preferences-in-college-admissions" target="_blank">preferences for the children of alumni</a>, which today increase the odds of admission by <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/do-legacy-preferences-count-more-than-race/28294" target="_blank">45 percentage points</a> for students at institutions like Harvard.</p> </blockquote> <p>You can read the full blog on <i>The</i> <i>Chronicle’s </i><a href="http://goo.gl/kgz34">website</a>.</p></div> </body> </html> Preventing Community Colleges from Becoming Separate and Unequal urn:syndication:3c042897-4e8e-11e1-9b74-002219154821 http://tcf.org/special-projects/task-forces/preventing-community-colleges-from-becoming-separate-and-unequal A Task Force to focus on strengthening community colleges with the intention of saving them from becoming “separate and unequal” institutions. 2012-02-03T17:42:46Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p>A Task Force to focus on strengthening community colleges with the intention of saving them from becoming “separate and unequal” institutions. </p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/special-projects/task-forces/preventing-community-colleges-from-becoming-separate-and-unequal/image" /> <span></span> </div> <div><p>A Task Force to focus on strengthening community colleges with the intention of saving them from becoming “separate and unequal” institutions. <a class="external-link" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/think-tanked/post/are-community-colleges-separate-and-unequal/2012/02/03/gIQAd4YumQ_blog.html" target="_blank"><i> The Washington Post</i>'s <i>Think Tanked</i> Blog</a> covers the Task Force announcement.</p></div> </body> </html> Are Community Colleges Separate and Unequal? urn:syndication:8c91edd4-4e8e-11e1-8b16-002219154821 http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/think-tanked/post/are-community-colleges-separate-and-unequal/2012/02/03/gIQAd4YumQ_blog.html TCF's new Task Force on Community Colleges featured in Washington Post's ThinkTanked. 2012-02-03T17:41:15Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p>TCF's new Task Force on Community Colleges featured in Washington Post's ThinkTanked. </p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/in-the-news/2012/1/are-community-colleges-separate-and-unequal/image" /> <span></span> </div> <p>http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/think-tanked/post/are-community-colleges-separate-and-unequal/2012/02/03/gIQAd4YumQ_blog.html</p> <div><p>TCF's new Task Force on Community Colleges featured in Washington Post's ThinkTanked.</p></div> </body> </html> New Panel to Address Divide Between 2- and 4-Year Colleges urn:syndication:f99feeab-4e76-11e1-a2e7-002219154821 http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2012/02/03/new-panel-address-divide-between-2-and-4-year-colleges Inside Higher Ed discusses TCF's new Task Force on Community Colleges. 2012-02-03T17:04:00Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p>Inside Higher Ed discusses TCF's new Task Force on Community Colleges. </p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/in-the-news/2012/1/new-panel-to-address-divide-between-2-and-4-year-colleges/image" /> <span></span> </div> <p>http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2012/02/03/new-panel-address-divide-between-2-and-4-year-colleges</p> <div><p>Inside Higher Ed discusses TCF's new Task Force on Community Colleges.</p></div> </body> </html> The Debates We Need urn:syndication:f91ac491-4e86-11e1-853b-002219154821 http://botc.tcf.org/2012/02/the-debates-we-need.html Senior fellow Richard Leone writes in Blog of the Century about what's not being debated. 2012-02-03T16:46:50Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p>Senior fellow Richard Leone writes in Blog of the Century about what's not being debated.</p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/in-the-news/2012/2/the-debates-we-need/image" /> <span></span> </div> <p>http://botc.tcf.org/2012/02/the-debates-we-need.html</p> <div><p>Senior fellow Richard Leone writes in Blog of the Century about what's not being debated.</p></div> </body> </html> How "Occupy Our Homes" Can Win urn:syndication:562b4ab8-4e77-11e1-b14d-002219154821 http://truthout.org/how-occupy-our-homes-can-win/1328034041 TCF fellow Amy Dean interviews anti-eviction organizer Steve Meacham of City Life/Vida Urbana in Boston at Truthout.org 2012-02-03T15:01:58Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p>TCF fellow Amy Dean interviews anti-eviction organizer Steve Meacham of City Life/Vida Urbana in Boston at Truthout.org</p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/in-the-news/2012/2/how-occupy-our-homes-can-win/image" /> <span></span> </div> <p>http://truthout.org/how-occupy-our-homes-can-win/1328034041</p> <div><p>TCF fellow Amy Dean interviews <em>anti-eviction organizer Steve Meacham of City Life/Vida Urbana in Boston at Truthout.org</em></p></div> </body> </html> U.S. Hypocrisy Starves North Korea urn:syndication:f12cb54a-4e77-11e1-a4eb-002219154821 http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/us-hypocrisy-starves-north-korea-6435?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter Morton Abramowitz discusses North Korea's food issue in National Interest. 2012-02-03T15:00:32Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p>Morton Abramowitz discusses North Korea's food issue in National Interest. </p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/in-the-news/2012/1/u.s.-hypocrisy-starves-north-korea/image" /> <span></span> </div> <p>http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/us-hypocrisy-starves-north-korea-6435?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter</p> <div><p>Morton Abramowitz discusses North Korea's food issue in National Interest.</p></div> </body> </html> The Debates We Need urn:syndication:74e612ab-4e75-11e1-b93c-002219154821 http://tcf.org/blogs/blog-of-the-century/6a00e54ffb969888330163009c2cbc970d You might sound like a crazy person if you said there had not been enough debates in the Republican race for the presidential nomination. Perhaps... 2012-02-03T14:38:09Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p> You might sound like a crazy person if you said there had not been enough debates in the Republican race for the presidential nomination. Perhaps...</p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/blogs/blog-of-the-century/6a00e54ffb969888330163009c2cbc970d/image" /> <span></span> </div> <div><p>You might sound like a crazy person if you said there had not been enough debates in the Republican race for the presidential nomination. Perhaps a better way to put it is that there hasn’t been much debate about the right things – especially about what the various candidates would do to implement their platforms.</p> <p>For example, all of the Republican candidates, to varying degrees, want to dismantle Social Security. Some want to do away with it altogether; others want to substitute individual private accounts. Mostly they just assert that the program is no good and none of them really discusses the problems posed by the various alternatives. It didn’t help enlighten us that at the two debates before the Florida primary (where one can assume there is a lot of interest in the topic), no questions were asked about Social Security’s future.</p> <p>When they do talk about it, the GOP candidates all start with the premise that Social Security is bankrupt, or as Governor Perry called it, a Ponzi scheme. This characterization, however, doesn’t fit the facts. Social Security was designed from the beginning to be pay-as-you-go, so that each generation pays for the one ahead of them. Not a bad bargain since each generation also inherits everything that was built and all the ideas that were developed by previous generations. The program is supported by the dedicated payroll tax paid by nearly all workers.</p> <p>Social Security has been able to build up a large surplus after 1983 because of a bargain between President Reagan and Speaker Tip O’Neill. Part of the deal was to increase workers’ contributions to Social Security and put the surplus revenues in a Trust Fund. By law, those funds must be invested in U.S. Treasuries. And no matter what anybody says about them, treasury obligations are still considered by the market to be the safest investments in the world.</p> <p>Social Security is not in fact on the brink of insolvency. Even with no changes, it will be able to pay about 75 percent of current benefits for the rest of the century. With some tweaking it can be brought back the level of full benefits. Just what the changes should be ought to be the subject of serious debate. But it is tough to focus on real alternatives if you feel the need to trash the program altogether. So it-seems-like-a-hundred debates later we still have no idea what the candidates would really do to save or replace Social Security. Mostly they reassure today’s retirees that their benefits will be protected, and the changes --whatever they are-- will only affect future senior citizens.</p> <p>The gap between rhetoric and actual proposals it pretty wide and the need for actual proposals is significant. After all, although the average Social Security recipient receives only about $1000 per month, that check lifts half of the elderly above the poverty level. For some groups, such as older women, it is even more important. Moreover, the survivors insurance component is worth more as life insurance than the face value if all the private life policies written in the U.S.</p> <p>None of this is to say that we should not be on the lookout for new ideas whenever they are appropriate. But if we are going to have a substitute for Social Security, or if we are going to have something else in the future, we have every reason to want to hear the candidates debate their alternative visions for retirees.</p> <p>Many of those wanting to privatize Social Security, including former President George W. Bush, ignore or misstate the problem of how workers would pay for the transition. They would need to keep supporting current retirees while accumulating money for their own private retirement investments. Paying double is a tall order for the average American wage earner,</p> <p>Social Security is not a program to be trifled with. Otherwise as Dwight Eisenhower put it</p> <p>"Should any political party attempt to abolish Social Security...you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are [a] few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."</p> <p>–President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1954</p> <p>At the end of the day there are some tough questions about America’s budget and entitlement programs. Social Security ought to be dealt with intelligently and with a serious debate during the primaries, and one hopes, during the general election.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p></div> </body> </html> Century Foundation Convenes National Task Force to Recommend Ways to Strengthen Community Colleges urn:syndication:1ac16219-4de5-11e1-b0b6-002219154821 http://tcf.org/publications/pdfs/CCCPR.pdf 2012-02-02T21:28:33Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p>press release</p> </body> </html> PolicyCast: Amy Dean Looks at the Employee Rights Act urn:syndication:57ae22b8-4ddf-11e1-bd36-002219154821 http://tcf.org/blogs/blog-of-the-century/6a00e54ffb969888330163009710a5970d Listen to TCF fellow Amy Dean discuss the Washington Times story " GOP Seeks to Loosen Labor's Grip ," about the Employee Rights Act and proposed... 2012-02-02T20:46:29Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p> Listen to TCF fellow Amy Dean discuss the Washington Times story " GOP Seeks to Loosen Labor's Grip ," about the Employee Rights Act and proposed...</p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/blogs/blog-of-the-century/6a00e54ffb969888330163009710a5970d/image" /> <span></span> </div> <div><p>Listen to TCF fellow Amy Dean discuss the <em>Washington Times</em> story "<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/29/gop-seeks-to-loosen-labors-grip/" target="_self" title="Washington Times piece GOP Seeks to Loosen Labor's Grip">GOP Seeks to Loosen Labor's Grip</a>," about the Employee Rights Act and proposed restrictions to unions' process of organization sponsored by Senator Orin Hatch  and Representative Tim Scott. Dean talks about the current state of labor organization (Graph of the Day, "<a href="http://botc.tcf.org/2012/01/graph-of-the-day-unions-grew-in-2011-but-remain-at-historic-lows.html" target="_blank">Union Membership Grew in 2011, but Remains at Historic Low</a>") and the election cycle-style of proposing such legislation.</p> <p>Listen to:</p> <p class="asset asset-audio at-xid-6a00e54ffb969888330168e68e8420970c"><a class="inline-player" href="http://tcftakingnote.typepad.com/files/tcf-fellow-amy-dean-looks-at-the-employee-rights-act.mp3">TCF Fellow Amy Dean Looks at the Employee Rights Act</a></p> <p>or </p> <p><a href="http://tcftakingnote.typepad.com/files/tcf-fellow-amy-dean-looks-at-the-employee-rights-act.mp3" target="_self" title="Download PolicyCast Amy Dean looks at the Employee Rights Act">Download it here</a></p></div> </body> </html> Harvard and the American Dream urn:syndication:5c863cde-4dd4-11e1-825a-002219154821 http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/harvard-and-the-american-dream/31493 Rick Kahlenberg in The Chronicle of Higher Education on how to expand opportunities for low-income students at the nation's elite higher-ed institutions. 2012-02-02T19:28:52Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p>Rick Kahlenberg in The Chronicle of Higher Education on how to expand opportunities for low-income students at the nation's elite higher-ed institutions. </p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/in-the-news/2012/1/harvard-and-the-american-dream/image" /> <span></span> </div> <p>http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/harvard-and-the-american-dream/31493</p> <div><h6 class="uiStreamMessage"><span class="messageBody">Fellow Rick Kahlenberg in The Chronicle of Higher Education on how to expand opportunities for low-income students at the nation's elite higher-ed institutions. </span></h6></div> </body> </html> Bush-era Tax Cuts Remain the Obstacle to Fiscal Sustainability urn:syndication:f18a4054-4df5-11e1-b311-002219154821 http://tcf.org/blogs/blog-of-the-century/6a00e54ffb969888330168e6909a55970c Earlier this week, the Congressional Budget Office released its Jan. 2012 Budget and Economic Outlook , which showed a sustainable fiscal... 2012-02-02T19:25:45Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p> Earlier this week, the Congressional Budget Office released its Jan. 2012 Budget and Economic Outlook , which showed a sustainable fiscal...</p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/blogs/blog-of-the-century/6a00e54ffb969888330168e6909a55970c/image" /> <span></span> </div> <div><div> <div> <p>Earlier this week, the Congressional Budget Office released its Jan. 2012 <a href="http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/126xx/doc12699/01-31-2012_Outlook.pdf" target="_blank">Budget and Economic Outlook</a>, which showed a sustainable fiscal outlook over the next decade <i>provided </i>Congress leaves the budget on autopilot. The current law baseline—<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/cbo-if-congress-does-nothing-deficit-plummets/2011/08/25/gIQATgE9eQ_blog.html" target="_blank">the legislated status quo</a>—depicts the budget deficit averaging only 1.5 percent of GDP over the next decade (fiscal years 2013-22), public debt peaking at 75.1 percent of GDP in FY2013, and the public debt-to-GDP ratio gradually falling to a more-than-sustainable 62.0 percent of GDP by FY2022. This picture is not perfect—the fiscal drag from the debt ceiling deal and expiring tax provisions is projected to slow growth to an anemic 1.1 percent of GDP in 2013 (and unemployment projections were raised half a percentage point across the decade)—but it is certainly fiscally sustainable in the out years, after the economy has recovered.</p> <p>And the single biggest policy threat to this sustainable fiscal outlook? Congress might extend all the George W. Bush-era tax cuts over the next decade, to the tune of $4.4 trillion over a decade. That’s $3.8 trillion (-9.1 percent) in revenue loss and $657 billion (+15.5 percent) in additional debt service. <i>Yes, deficit-financed tax cuts increase spending. </i>CBO’s current law baseline projects cumulative budget deficits of $3.1 trillion, so continuing the Bush-era tax cuts would more than double the scope of fiscal stress. (These calculations assume that Congress will continue patching the alternative minimum tax and attribute a $1.1 trillion interaction between the policies to the Bush tax cuts, which pushed more households into the AMT, significantly increasing the cost of the AMT patch.) Measured differently, the hefty opportunity cost of the Bush-era tax cuts averages 1.9 percent of GDP in revenue loss and another 0.3 percent of GDP in increased interest spending over 10 years.</p> <a href="http://www.epi.org/files/2012/extending_bush_tax_cuts.png"><img src="http://www.epi.org/m/?src=http://www.epi.org/files/2012/extending_bush_tax_cuts.png&w=536" /></a> <p>Under current law, the budget will begin running sustained primary surpluses (where revenue exceeds non-interest spending) starting in FY2015. If Congress patches the AMT, primary surpluses begin in 2017. If the Bush tax cuts are extended, the <i>budget never reaches primary balance</i>. (Primary balance is a common metric for sustainability: while it does not necessarily stabilize debt as a share of GDP—which depends on interest rates, outstanding debt levels, and GDP growth—it’s a decent approximation.)</p> <p>The Bush tax cuts remain <a href="http://www.epi.org/publication/tenth_anniversary_of_the_bush-era_tax_cuts/" target="_blank">expensive, ineffective, and unfair</a>, and permanently extending even a portion of them—which President Obama <a href="http://www.epi.org/files/2011/ib316-wm.pdf" target="_blank">proposes to do</a> for 98 percent of households—makes it difficult to adequately fund public investments, economic security programs, and national security spending. Congress and the public have to accept that the federal government must either <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-fieldhouse/in-favor-of-progressive-t_b_981868.html" target="_blank">collect significantly more revenue</a> (above that projected under current law) or <a href="http://www.epi.org/publication/ryans_budget_would_undermine_economic_security_for_millions/" target="_blank">renege on commitments</a> insuring that seniors, the poor, and the disabled are provided with health care and a degree of retirement security. Like it or not, we can’t afford the New Deal, the Great Society, and the Bush tax cuts.</p> </div> </div></div> </body> </html> Bush-era Tax Cuts Remain the Obstacle to Fiscal Sustainability urn:syndication:a15312d7-4dd3-11e1-8569-002219154821 http://botc.tcf.org/2012/02/bush-era-tax-cuts-remain-the-obstacle-to-fiscal-sustainability.html Andrew Fieldhouse in Blog of the Century. 2012-02-02T19:24:38Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p>Andrew Fieldhouse in Blog of the Century. </p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/in-the-news/2012/1/bush-era-tax-cuts-remain-the-obstacle-to-fiscal-sustainability/image" /> <span></span> </div> <p>http://botc.tcf.org/2012/02/bush-era-tax-cuts-remain-the-obstacle-to-fiscal-sustainability.html</p> <div><p>Andrew Fieldhouse in Blog of the Century.</p></div> </body> </html> Will Tax Increases to Close the Deficit Harm Economic Growth? urn:syndication:a15844f3-4dd3-11e1-9e18-002219154821 http://botc.tcf.org/2012/02/will-tax-increases-to-close-the-deficit-harm-economic-growth.html Mark Thoma in Blog of the Century. 2012-02-02T19:23:47Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p>Mark Thoma in Blog of the Century. </p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/in-the-news/2012/1/will-tax-increases-to-close-the-deficit-harm-economic-growth/image" /> <span></span> </div> <p>http://botc.tcf.org/2012/02/will-tax-increases-to-close-the-deficit-harm-economic-growth.html</p> <div><p>Mark Thoma in Blog of the Century.</p></div> </body> </html> Will Tax Increases to Close the Deficit Harm Economic Growth? urn:syndication:231859d7-4dff-11e1-8726-002219154821 http://tcf.org/blogs/blog-of-the-century/6a00e54ffb969888330168e6915921970c TCF Fellow Mark Thoma is a professor of economics at the University of Oregon and the author of the Economist’s View blog where this... 2012-02-02T19:18:07Z <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <body> <p> TCF Fellow Mark Thoma is a professor of economics at the University of Oregon and the author of the Economist’s View blog where this...</p> <div style="float: right"> <img src="http://tcf.org/blogs/blog-of-the-century/6a00e54ffb969888330168e6915921970c/image" /> <span></span> </div> <div><blockquote><i><a href="about/fellows/mark-thoma" target="_self" title="TCF Fellow Mark Thoma">TCF Fellow <b>Mark Thoma</b></a> is a professor of economics at the University of Oregon and the author of the Economist’s View blog where <a href="http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2012/02/will-tax-increases-to-close-the-deficit-harm-economic-growth.html" target="_self" title="Will Tax Increses to Close the Deficit Harm Economic Growth?">this content is crossposted</a>. Thoma is a frequent commentator for <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/" target="_self" title="CBS Money Watch">CBS's Money Watch </a>where this piece originated (<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-57369933/will-tax-hikes-hurt-economic-growth/" target="_self">Will Tax Increases to Close the Deficit Harm Economic Growth?, by Mark Thoma, CBS New</a>). Follow Thoma on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/markthoma" target="_blank">@MarkThoma.</a></i></blockquote> <div> <div> <p>Tax increases will be needed to close the budget gap:</p> <blockquote> <p><b>COMMENTARY</b> The CBO's latest <a href="http://cboblog.cbo.gov/?p=3200">Budget and Economic Outlook</a> showing the magnitude of the long-run budget problem we face is another reminder that the considerable long-run deficit problem we face cannot be solved by program cuts alone -- the cuts required would be too deep to be acceptable -- an increase in revenues is needed.</p> <p>If that's true, why are politicians, particularly those on the right, taking such a strong stance against tax increases of any kind? Taking a hard line on tax increases and insisting on program cuts is an attempt to make as much of the adjustment as possible accord with their ideological preference for smaller government. But politicians understand that enhanced revenue will be part of the final package even if their political posturing suggests otherwise.</p> <p>But there is another reason for this posturing against tax increases beyond the hope for a smaller government. The resistance to tax increases is also over who will end up paying the increased revenue. Will it be tax increases for the wealthy, closing deductions such as mortgage interest, tax increases for the middle class, etc.? Who, exactly, will foot the bill?</p> <p>This is evident in the testimony of Doug Elmendorf before Congress today explaining the CBO's findings. <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/02/cbo-how-hosed-are-we/252375/">From</a> the Atlantic:</p> <blockquote>...it's no surprise that Doug Elmendorf's appearance before Congress today was dominated by political grandstanding, as members asked extremely loaded questions designed to get Doug Elmendorf to say that we should close the hole by either raising taxes or cutting spending. Elmendorf ably ducked these attempts to lead him, but you could see him steeling himself every time a new congressman took their turn.</blockquote> <p>As this issue heats up, you will hear again and again that tax increases, particularly on the wealthy, will depress economic growth. However, as I<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-39741024/did-the-bush-tax-cuts-lead-to-economic-growth/">detailed in a previous article</a>, there's very little evidence that tax changes of the magnitudes and types being considered will have a significant impact on economic activity:</p> <blockquote>Economic theory helps us to determine which types of taxes are best in terms of efficiency, but the equity of taxes -- who pays them and whether it's fair -- also matters. Questions of equity must be resolved in the political arena, economics cannot help here, and equity is one of the factors that determines whether a tax is feasible. If allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for the wealthy is the only acceptably equitable way to raise taxes in this political environment, then there is little evidence that this will be harmful. The cost of allowing these tax cuts to expire is low, and there is much to be gained in terms of reducing our long-term budget problem.</blockquote> <p>There are ways to produce negative effects from tax increases, and there are ways to harm growth through program cuts as well, I don't mean to imply otherwise. But despite the concerted attempts to make people think their jobs are on the line if certain types of tax increases, e.g. for the wealthy, are put into place, given the plans on the table this is fundamentally a political issue about the size of government and how to pay for it equitably rather than an issue about avoiding economic harm. In fact, if avoiding harm to individual households in one form or another is an important objective alongside deficit reduction, as I think it should be, we should worry just as much about program cuts as tax increases.</p> </blockquote> </div> </div> <p> </p></div> </body> </html>