Each election cycle there occurs a tired ritual, in which pundits and reporters rediscover that yes, indeed, there are still a lot of white working class voters in America, and they represent a serious vulnerability for the Democrats. more

According to the Pew Center on the States, which recently estimated there are nearly 120 home-visitation programs across the nation, "Quality home-visiting programs lay the foundation for children's development and tax payers reap the benefit when many of our nation's costliest social problems—school failure, child abuse and the use of welfare—are prevented." more

The push to rig the 2012 presidential election is under way. There’s nothing illegal about it: Across the country, state legislatures are embroiled in partisan battles over election-law changes that, by design or effect, could play a significant role in determining the outcome of the presidency.

The recession ended two years ago, but it seems the job market hasn't gotten the memo. This will be the third year college graduates will enter the workforce facing a high unemployment rate. The poor job market is already taking a tough toll on recent grads. more

More than two-thirds of Americans say they have achieved the American Dream or will do so at some point in their lifetime according to the Pew Economic Mobility Project. more

Almost no one noticed, but around George W. Bush’s reelection in 2004, the nation crossed a demographic milestone. more

Well-publicized crises in Illinois and New Jersey may have given public systems a bad reputation, but in reality, the vast majority of state and local government programs are not on the verge of collapse. "The public pension community is not in a state of crisis," says Keith Brainard, research director at the National Association of State Retirement Administrators. "Some plans face larger challenges than others, but it varies by plan."

Does the government hamper our financial success? According to a new poll from the Pew Economic Mobility Project, most Americans think the answer is yes.

Americans are down in the dumps about their personal finances, but still think the American dream is alive and kicking. more

"The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, created by Congress last year as part of financial reform, has broad authority to ban unfair or abusive practices in financial products and services. Protecting checking account holders from unreasonable fees and other costly traps should be one of the agency’s first priorities when it opens for business in July.

 While you are opening that new checking account, don’t forget to read the accompanying 111 pages of legal fine print that go along with it.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is calling for new regulations to require banks to clearly and briefly describe checking account fees now buried in applications that can be more than 100 pages long.