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Progressive Growth

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July 22, 2008

Your First Car Loan: Know Before You Go

So, you’re finally on your own with a new job. If you’re like most Americans, a car is a necessary item—88 percent of Americans use their car to get to work. The path to getting an auto loan is full of pitfalls that can extract extra money over the course of the loan. And with the price of gas at record levels, getting a car that will serve your needs and fit into your budget may require some planning. By Tim Westrich
July 22, 2008

401(k) Financial Planning

Borrowing from retirement savings is sometimes necessary, but families shouldn't have to tap these funds now due to poor health or unemployment, says Christian E. Weller. By Christian E. Weller
July 22, 2008

Six of One, Half Dozen of the Other

As consumers are less able to access home equity loans, they are turning to credit cards to continue their consumption—meaning it’s more important than ever to improve credit card terms. By Tim Westrich
July 21, 2008

Doha’s Last Gasp for 2008?

Jake Caldwell outlines what needs to happen to salvage the Doha Round negotiations as the World Trade Organization meets this week in Geneva. By Jake Caldwell
July 21, 2008

This Week in Congress 7.21.08 - 7.25.08

CAP has the resources you need to stay on top of housing, appropriations, energy, and infrastructure this week.
July 21, 2008

Help Is on the Way

The communities most battered by the foreclosure crisis may soon receive some much needed federal assistance, providing Congress and the president stay the course.
July 16, 2008

Are You Saving Smartly for Retirement?

Christian E. Weller testifies to Congress, offering solutions for how to stabilize families so they don't feel pressured to borrow from their retirement to cover current expenses. By Christian E. Weller
July 16, 2008

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program By the Numbers

A by-the-numbers look at the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program shows that a new bill proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders would provide much-needed help with energy costs for low-income families.
July 16, 2008

Robbing Tomorrow to Pay for Today

Report finds that economically squeezed families are increasingly turning to easily accessible loans from their 401(k) plans to help them make ends meet. By Christian E. Weller, Jeffrey Wenger
July 15, 2008

Defining Retirement Plans

A Joint Economic Committee hearing discussed how defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans ensure retirement income and contribute to the economy.
July 15, 2008

Insuring the Nest Egg

Retirement income experts at CAP event stress universal coverage and defined benefits plan as key to security.
July 14, 2008

Economic Snapshot for July 2008

Families feel the economic pressure, as the price of basic necessities keep rising. Easing the economic burden will not be easy, writes Christian Weller. By Christian E. Weller
July 10, 2008

The Best Retirement Plan Ever

CAPAF’s Christian E. Weller testifies on model retirement savings plans—how public sector pension plans can provide efficient and sustainable savings. By Christian E. Weller
July 10, 2008

Why Biased Media Coverage Matters

David Madland on how the media portrays economic issues, why biased media coverage matters, and what fair and balanced coverage of the economy would look like. By David Madland
July 8, 2008

Doing our part to feed the world

The evidence is clear that our global agricultural system is broken and that in our interdependent world, food security is a challenge we must tackle together. By John Podesta
July 3, 2008

The Continuing Fallout: Job Losses Roll On as Economy Struggles

The latest employment numbers mirror the pain of previous months, adding to the anxiety of low- and middle-income workers and their families, writes Christian E. Weller. By Christian E. Weller
July 3, 2008

Stagflation, Not Strong Growth, Justifies Pause

It's not an easy time to be a member of the Federal Open Market Committee. You learn in Economics 101 that you tighten interest rates in an inflationary environment and ease on weaker economic demand. When faced with the dreaded "S" word -- stagflation -- there are no sure textbook answers. By Gene Sperling
July 2, 2008

The Young and the Indebted

High fees, high interest rates, and complex terms that come with credit cards are particularly damaging to increasing numbers of young people who use plastic. By Erica Williams, Tim Westrich
July 1, 2008

Jobless Workers Receive Long-Awaited Government Relief

President Bush signed into law a war spending bill that includes a much-needed extension of unemployment benefits for millions of long-term unemployed Americans. By Joy Moses
July 1, 2008

Credit Cards and the College Bottleneck

A House subcommittee hearing examines the need for stricter limits on credit card companies as students struggle to cope with increasing education expenses.
June 30, 2008

Ask the Expert: Gas Prices Are Tightening the Middle Class Squeeze

Christian E. Weller on how gas prices are affecting budgets, whether there's an end in sight to the middle-class squeeze, and how we can ease the strain on America's families. By Christian E. Weller
June 30, 2008

Running on Fumes

Report from Amanda Logan and Christian E. Weller shows that with rising gas and food prices are adding to already squeezed budgets, the family barbecue may be the next victim of the middle class squeeze. By Amanda Logan, Christian E. Weller
June 27, 2008

Bankruptcies Back on the Wrong Track

Report from Amanda Logan and Christian E. Weller shows that bankruptcy rates are on the rise again despite the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. By Amanda Logan, Christian E. Weller
June 26, 2008

Students Need Help Combating Credit Card Debt

Erica Williams of Campus Progress Action testifies before House Financial Services Subcommittee on credit card problems that affect students. By Erica Williams
June 23, 2008

The Absence of the Working Class

A panel composed of members of the media as well as a union leader discuss the causes and solutions to a neglected sector of the population in the media.
June 23, 2008

Speculators “R” Us: Commodities Markets Need Institutional Investors Like Us

Congress must understand investments in oil and food commodities serve a valuable purpose, writes Christian Weller. By Christian E. Weller
June 20, 2008

Journalists Give Workers the Business

CAP study finds that the perspective of workers is largely missing mainstream media's economic coverage, while the views of business are frequently presented. By David Madland
June 19, 2008

Medicine or Electricity?

Low-income Americans are increasingly having to make tough choices as energy prices rise.
June 17, 2008

Slideshow: Fallout from Foreclosures

Foreclosures affect everyone, not just those who lose their homes. This slideshow documents just some of the fallout in neighborhoods and communities.
June 17, 2008

Economic Snapshot for June 2008

This month, job losses are mounting, wages are flat, and prices for large necessities are up, all while families struggle with record amounts of debt. By Christian E. Weller
June 13, 2008

Public Opinion Snapshot: Americans Hit New Record on Economic Pessimism

Ruy Teixeira finds that for the first time, more than half of Americans believe that they are worse off now than they were a year ago. By Ruy Teixeira
June 12, 2008

Bush Attempts to Strengthen His Weak Dollar

Overreliance on cheap credit to deal with the housing and banking mess exacerbates the dollar's weakness and increases gas prices, writes Scott Lilly. By Scott Lilly
June 12, 2008

How House Plan Helps States Deal with Foreclosures

Interactive map shows how much each state stands to gain from House legislation aimed at helping states and localities deal with existing foreclosures.
June 12, 2008

How Senate Plan Helps States Deal with Foreclosures

Interactive map shows how much each state stands to gain from Senate legislation aimed at helping states and localities deal with existing foreclosures.
June 6, 2008

Record Unemployment Should Be a Clarion Call for Action

Now with the biggest unemployment increase in 20 years, it’s time for Congress to take action to strengthen the economy, writes David Madland. By David Madland
June 5, 2008

A Tale of Two Conservatives

An examination of President Bush and Herbert Hoover, the president who helped steer the economy into the Great Depression, shows interesting similarities. By David Madland, Jacob Pawlak
June 4, 2008

Propietarios como es debido

Mucho después de que terminen las ejecuciones de los préstamos hipotecarios a tasas de alto riesgo, las familias de trabajadores de recursos módicos seguirán queriendo comprar viviendas. By David M. Abromowitz
June 3, 2008

Ask the Expert: Young Americans and the Economy

Amanda Logan on young Americans' progressive views on the economy and how they may affect November's election. By Amanda Logan
June 3, 2008

Job Opportunities for the Green Economy

A new report sponsored in part by CAP examines occupations that would gain from the flow from new investments in a low-carbon economy in states across the country.
May 30, 2008

Bold Progressive Ideas: New Proposals for American Challenges

CAP event brings together experts to discuss their domestic policy ideas for a new progressivism that responds to specific and new American challenges.
May 28, 2008

Ask the Expert: Is the Housing Crisis Over?

Andrew Jakabovics on whether legislation in Congress will help, and what is left to be done. By Andrew Jakabovics
May 28, 2008

Troubled Homeowners Need Breathing Room

A new House bill would give borrowers and servicers more time to renegotiate mortgages so that homeowners can keep their homes, writes Tim Westrich. By Tim Westrich
May 27, 2008

Bush's Weak Dollar

The government's monetary policy creates winners and losers in terms of consumers and businesses, and benefit some businesses far more than others, writes Scott Lilly. By Scott Lilly
May 23, 2008

A Break on Fuel-Efficient Cars, Not Gas Tax, Is Needed

The revenue lost from the summer gas-tax holiday some are proposing would be about $10 billion — the cost of helping hard-hit American consumers cope with $4 a gallon gas prices. But is a onetime summer fix the right approach? By David M. Abromowitz
May 20, 2008

Bush’s Glass House on Bailing Out Mortgage Lenders

The president insists a key housing bill in Congress bails out lenders when his own plan does just that, writes Andrew Jakabovics. By Andrew Jakabovics
May 20, 2008

Myth vs. Fact: Helping Homeowners

Housing legislation now before Congress faces opposition based on misconceptions. Here are the facts. By Andrew Jakabovics
May 16, 2008

Public Opinion Snapshot: Americans Want More Help, Better Regulation on Housing

The public’s views are very clear: It’s time to help homeowners and fix the system so that such painful problems are avoided in the future. By Ruy Teixeira
May 15, 2008

April Sees Sharp Rise in Food Prices

The global food crisis has produced staggering increases in the cost of groceries at home, hurting low-income families worst, writes David Kane. By David Kane
May 13, 2008

Interactive Map: What Are You Paying for the War?

See how much taxpayers in each state could now be paying based on the president's new request to fund operations in Iraq through the end of the year.
May 13, 2008

New Housing Data Sobering

Four out of five homeowners live in metropolitan areas experiencing price declines, according to new analysis by Andrew Jakabovics. Housing legislation in Congress requires swift passage. By Andrew Jakabovics

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Where We Stand on Domestic and Economy

CAP’s policy priorities for U.S. domestic and economic policymaking center on building opportunities for all Americans to share in the American Dream. Our policy work concentrates on the core engines that drive equal opportunity, economic mobility, and shared prosperity—education, health care, housing, government oversight, tax reform, and technology innovation. Our progressive domestic and economic priorities underscore our commitment to government that works for the common good.