Author: KJ McElrath

What Would Martin Luther King Jr. Think of Black Lives Matter?

What Would Martin Luther King Jr. Think of Black Lives Matter?

Posted by | Jan 20, 2016 | |

Earlier this week, 25 protesters of the Black Lives Matter movement blocked the busy Oakland-San Francisco Bay bridge right before rush hour – creating havoc that lasted for hours. The timing was no coincidence; the Anti-Police Terror Project posted a statement on the organization’s website, comparing the protest to “the radical legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King,” whose birthday was observed that day. Would he have approved of such an action? Some well-meaning individuals among the white community question such comparisons – particularly those who were inconvenienced by the protest. One driver, who missed a memorial service because of...

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62 People are Now Richer Than Half the World

62 People are Now Richer Than Half the World

Posted by | Jan 19, 2016 | , , , |

Those who have been listening to what presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and Progressive author and commentator Thom Hartmann have been saying for years will not be surprised to hear once again that the rich are getting much, much richer, while the poor are getting that much poorer. That’s the finding of a report issued by Oxfam which says that since 2010, the wealth of 62 individuals around the world has increased by 44%, while that of 3.5 billion others fell by nearly the same amount (41%).  As a result of corporate control over governments and the ability of the...

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Mental Health in America: A Crisis With Multiple Causes

Mental Health in America: A Crisis With Multiple Causes

Posted by | Jan 18, 2016 | , , |

In his recent executive action to curb gun violence, President Obama proposed setting aside $500 million to fund mental health programs. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for All” proposal would include access to mental health services. 58 million Americans – nearly one in four – suffer from mental illness. Yet, hundreds of thousands of them are falling through the cracks of a system that has been falling apart for decades. Entering the term “America’s mental health crisis” into an Internet search engine will return approximately 1.2 million results. Mental illness is implicated in a significant number of shootings and other acts...

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Champion of Student Debt Reform To Join Department of Education

Champion of Student Debt Reform To Join Department of Education

Posted by | Jan 15, 2016 | , |

Few people outside the Beltway know the name of Rohit Chopra, but during his tenure at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), he lead the fight for the rights of student loan borrowers. Now, he’ll continue the fight from within the U.S. Department of Education. This week, Chopra started his new job as a senior official at the department. As a student loan services regulator at the CFPB, Chopra aggressively stood up to schools and banking institutions and was outspoken in his criticism of the Obama Administration and its treatment of student loan borrowers. Chopra left the CFPB last...

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Cruz’s Cozy (Secret) Relationship With Wall Street

Cruz’s Cozy (Secret) Relationship With Wall Street

Posted by | Jan 15, 2016 | , |

Ted Cruz ran for his Senate seat four years ago on a “populist” platform, attacking bank bailouts and denouncing Wall Street’s power and influence over the legislative process in Washington D.C.. Nonetheless, this hasn’t stopped him from taking out substantial campaign loans from Goldman-Sachs and Citigroup, two of the biggest corporate “welfare queens” on Wall Street. Together, those loans totaled as much as $1 million – and Cruz failed to mention them to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in his latest filing, as required by law.  Of course, there is nothing illegal about borrowing money in order to fund...

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