Policy

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Senators Kyl and Grassley seem prepared to block debate on extending unemployment benefits in order for a weakened estate tax law to become permanent, essentially holding unemployed Americans hostage as they bargain for another trillion-dollar tax giveaway to the rich.

UFE's seventh annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day report has finally arrived! State of the Dream 2010: Drained - Jobless and Foreclosed in Communities of Color explores the U.S. racial economic divide in the wake of the Great Recession and spotlights a targeted policy approach as the best way to close that divide and rebuild our economy. Read the report now!

Barry Lynn, host of the radio show, Culture Shocks, asks: Is the economy better for whites and worse for Blacks? Ajamu Dillahunt, UFE Board member and co-author of State of the Dream 2010: Drained, joins him to discuss the issue of race in the Great Recession.

Oregonians voters turned out in Tuesday's special election to say "yes" to quality public education and social services, and "no" to tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations. TFOC members, Our Oregon and Tax Fairness Oregon, were active players in this major ballot victory.

Brian Miller writes about why the federal estate tax is such a crucial source of revenue for a Main Street recovery. Read more in this San Antonio Express-News op-ed.

Business Owners, Executives and Investors – sign Responsible Wealth’s letter to the US Senate in support of legislation to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA).

Nearly 42 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., how close are we to realizing the ideals he represented - for social and economic equality for people of all races? Bob Herbert comments in The New York Times on how well, or poorly, we as a nation uphold Dr. King's campaign for economic justice, and cites UFE's State of the Dream 2010.

Between UFE's State of the Dream 2010 report and a new study by the Economic Policy Institute, race and the Great Recession has been a major news issue this week. Dion Haynes wrote today about the dire circumstances for Black communities in the US.

Ajamu Dillahunt, UFE Board member and co-author of State of the Dream 2010, explains that the economic stimulus has been tilted in favor of white people. He writes that there's much more we can do to support communities of color. Read more in this Huffington Post op-ed.