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BOOKS
 | Train Wreck: The End of the Conservative Revolution (and Not a Moment Too Soon)
"When you start out hating government, you can't make government work. And you shouldn't even be given a chance to try." That, according to the progressive commentator Bill Press, is one of the main reasons that conservative control of the White House, the Supreme Court and Congress during many of the past 40 years has produced one disaster after another. While Press offers chilling details of the Bush administration years in office, he also shows that Bush's personal incompetence and debauchery aren't the only culprits for the disaster he will leave behind. Conservatism itself falls short. "As long as [conservatives] believe government is intrinsically evil, they will never do a good job." Available from .™ |
 | The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker
Remember when Phil Gramm, John McCain's close pal and economic advisor, said America is a "nation of whiners" for complaining about the economy? Maybe someone should send him this book. There's no better account of what workers are up against today. Steve Greenhouse, one of America's foremost journalists covering the workplace, tells the truth about workers' wages stagnating, shrinking health benefits and evaporating job security. Most powerful are the personal stories of software engineers, hotel housekeepers and others being squeezed dry by their employers. Available from .™ |
 | Crunch: Why Do I Feel So Squeezed? (and Other Unsolved Economic Mysteries)
If you equate reading about economics with tooth extraction, this book will change your mind. Jared Bernstein, a highly-respected economist at the Economic Policy Institute, also is a clear and engaging (and, yes, funny) writer. He notes that "economics has been hijacked by the rich and powerful," and he's determined to return it to its rightful owners—us. He tackles real-world questions like, "Is Social Security going bust?" "What's a living wage? And perhaps most important: "When the pundits say the economy's doing well, why do I still feel so squeezed?" Available from .™ |
 | Up to Our Eyeballs: How Shady Lenders and Failed Economic Policies are Drowning Americans in Debt
Household debt in America has gone berserk—up to more than $2 trillion at last count. But is it because we're all charging Jacuzzis and Cancun vacations we can't afford on our Visa cards? Nope. As three economists with the highly respected think tank Demos point out, our debt disaster exists because of a perfect storm of dangerous trends. For one, the social safety net is shredding, so families must put astronomically high medical bills on their credit cards and college kids are saddled with student loans that take decades to repay. Meanwhile, because of deregulation, credit card companies lure customers with zero-interest cards that suddenly charge 30 percent or more, and scam mortgages are driving people into foreclosures. A splendid guide to a misunderstood crisis. Available from . |
DVD
 | Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin
"The best organizer on the planet" is how Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton describes Bayard Rustin in this award-winning film. He was that and even more—a brilliant, charismatic, courageous man who did as much as anyone to build the modern civil rights movement A mentor and friend to Martin Luther King Jr. and organizer of the massive 1963 March on Washington, he founded the AFL-CIO A. Philip Randolph Institute. A gay man, he never had received the public recognition and acclaim he deserved. "Brother Outsider" does us the enormous service of giving Rustin his due. It's a splendid documentary about one of the most exceptional and often forgotten figures in our lifetime. Available from . |
CD
 | Dump the Bosses Off Your Back
No one ever has to ask which side Anne Feeney is on. Just about every song she sings is about working people and justice. While most of the music here is composed by her, she also revives some fine old Wobbly songs in fascinating ways ("Dump the Bosses Off Your Back" is done as a polka, believe it or not). Other highlights include a powerful tribute to the murdered Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC).organizer Santiago Cruz and a heart-rending song about the Sago mine disaster. Feeney is right about this album: It's her best CD ever. Available from the .™ |
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