Thought bankers had learned their lesson in 2008? Think again.

After the financial meltdown of 2008, I remember thinking that I wouldn't be running into Wall Street lobbyists much anymore in the halls of Congress.

If you'd just driven the economy off a cliff, wouldn't you be embarrassed to show your face on Capitol Hill? And surely, I thought, these firms wouldn't spend their taxpayer bailout money on high-priced lobbyists.

A new report documents increased lawsuits against governments by transnational corporations involved in the oil, mining, and gas industries.

In the context of high global prices for natural resources, developing country governments seeking to increase the benefits of those resources for their own people are finding themselves increasingly at odds with transnational corporations.

There are two tax systems in America today: one for the privileged and one for everyone else.

Today, we have a two-tier federal tax system: one tax system for the wealthy and powerful corporations and another tax system for everyone else. The tax system for the privileged features loopholes and special provisions that enable wealthy individuals and global corporations to hide taxable income and receive special treatment. The tax system for “regular people” offers few loopholes.

Why regulate a broken system when we can build a better one? Welcome to New Economy 101.

Financial reform is the Congressional political issue of the month. Democrats say their bill will place essential controls on Wall Street to prevent abuse and a repeat of the financial crash. Republicans say it will encourage further Wall Street risk-taking by giving the big banks a guarantee of a future taxpayer bailout if reckless decisions trigger another financial crash.

Something important is happening in Cleveland: a new model of large-scale worker- and community-benefiting enterprises is beginning to build serious momentum in one of the cities most dramatically impacted by the nation's decaying economy. The Evergreen Cooperative Laundry (ECL)--a worker-owned, industrial-size, thoroughly "green" operation--opened its doors late last fall in Glenville, a neighborhood with a median income hovering around $18,000.

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