As we mark the 10 year anniversary of the Iraq War one of the war’s most outspoken veterans is going on hospice care, soon to leave this world. But before Tomas Young exits he had one last letter to send to the men responsible for his condition and so much senseless pain. ——————- To: George [...]

One of the Vietnam War’s legacies was a generation of homeless veterans – traumatized by war and uncared for by the system that happily used them for its own ends before leaving them to the streets. Now, despite constant crowing about reforms at the Veterans Administration and treatment for mental illness in the military, it [...]

If we were to build the perfect example of an individual borrower squeezed by the foreclosure crisis, they would line up somewhat favorably with the attributes of the average voter that the Obama campaign is hoping will turn out in large numbers to put him over the top in this election. First of all, you [...]

Perhaps showing concern about the softening economic forecasts of recent months, President Obama has provided a to-do list for Congress that would, in his words, “create jobs and help restore middle class security.” The to-do list includes several ideas from the American Jobs Act and subsequent legislation proposals announced in recent months. They include: 1) [...]

During the Super Committee negotiations last year, Republicans proposed, and the White House endorsed, the sale of a sprawling Veterans Administration campus in West Los Angeles that Democrats have long wanted to use to house homeless veterans, according to Congressman Henry Waxman. The longtime Democratic Congressman told a crowd at a town hall meeting in [...]

Over six months ago, I wrote a piece for The American Prospect about something I dubbed “camo-washing,” an effort by big banks to prove their attentiveness to the foreclosure crisis by going out of their way to compensate military families for violations of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. These violations included egregious behavior, like moving [...]

Within the hour, it’s likely that the veterans hiring measure, which offers tax credits of up to $9,600 to businesses for hiring returning veterans, will pass the Senate, attached to a measure that makes it easier for government contractors to cheat on their taxes. Two things stand out with the passage of this. Obviously, it [...]

The sort-of jobs measure announced Friday by Democrats had it all: paeans to veterans, tax breaks for businesses, an elimination of leverage for tax compliance with government contractors. Something for everyone in Washington, in other words. Which is why it advanced in the Senate by a vote of 94-1. In a 94-1 roll call, senators [...]

The latest in a series of jobs measures that will get a Senate vote offers a twist on what we’ve seen over the past several weeks. First of all, the bill is not paid for with a surtax on millionaires. Democrats have enough votes from their counterparts on that for their point to be made. [...]

The “We Can’t Wait” campaign that the President initiated with his refinancing upgrade yesterday shifts to veterans hiring today. Veteran unemployment is above the national average, which stands to reason given the socioeconomic status of many returning veterans. So the White House has identified a variety of steps to help create jobs for veterans. What [...]

I could hardly keep up with all the reports on housing that came out over the past 24 hours. So let me try to summarize a couple: • A recently unsealed lawsuit shows that banks cheated military veterans by illegally adding attorney’s fees to their refinancing loans. Illegal fee additions have a rich history, especially [...]