taxes

Julianne Malveaux  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Jan 5 2012

Sparks may fly when the House returns

Most Americans have been enjoying the holiday haze since House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) folded and allowed the two-month extension of unemployment insurance and the Social Security tax cut, and other key matters to go through.

Indeed, if the French take the month of August off by law, we almost do the same in the period between Christmas and New Year. Except for retail establishments that support the great American pastime– shopping–few businesses got substantive work done in the last week.

Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Sep 22 2011

Between the Lines

The president did it. He finally called out the rich to share in the nation’s pain. Introducing his debt-reduction plan, he put the “gun” to Congress, right before the 2012 elections. Now let them go out and defend the rich while the rest of America is hurting.

Julianne Malveaux  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Sep 22 2011

Congress yammers while unemployed get hammered

The fall of the Roman Empire is best captured in the phrase that “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.” Set on pursuing his own pleasures and indulgences, Nero could not see the walls crumbling around him. Similarly, our leaders seem oblivious to the walls crashing in on us, bickering about the way that relief on our employment situation should be structured, while poverty rates are soaring.

Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Aug 4 2011

Between the Lines

Now that the national debt ceiling has been raised, and the country has averted economic catastrophe, it really is necessary to process and analyze what a small band of obstructionists have put the nation through.

This debt ceiling debate, usually a pro forma act of Congress, took on an ideology tone of huge proportions. Why is that? The last president, George W. Bush, raised the debt ceiling seven times without as much as a peep out of Congress. The federal deficit was spiraling out of control at that time, too.

Jul 7 2011

Taxation purposes

On July 12, 1787, the United States Congress passed the Three-fifths Compromise, which mandated that each enslaved African would be counted as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation purposes.

Before the compromise was passed, southerners wanted Congress to count enslaved Africans in order to have more representation, but did not want them to be counted for taxation. And it was just the opposite desire for the northerners.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
California
Yvette Hollingsworth was recently named chief compliance officer for Wells Fargo & Co. Hollingsworth, who most recently served as managing director and global head of operations compliance and financial crimes compliance & risk management for Barclays Corporate & Investment Bank, will begin her new role on June 1, 2012. Hollingsworth will be based in San Francisco, and will report to Caryl Athanasiu, executive vice president and chief operational risk officer in the corporate risk group. As chief compliance officer, Hollingsworth will be responsible for ensuring that all areas of the company meet compliance management responsibilities and abide by all applicable laws and regulations. Her team will continue to provide independent oversight of business-based compliance management activities.
District of Columbia
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) issued the following statement after the Senate voted to confirm Los Angeles attorney Paul Watford to serve on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals: “It is great news that the Senate has confirmed Paul Watford, an exceptionally talented attorney, to serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He has a breadth of experience as a former prosecutor and a top appellate litigator and will make an excellent addition to the federal bench. However, I am very disappointed that more of my Republican colleagues did not join us in backing this highly qualified nominee.” When Watford is sworn in, he will be only the second African American serving on the Ninth Circuit.