Insight and Analysis

Since the Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives in the 2010 elections, the Congress—now divided between the political parties—has largely faced gridlock over fundamental issues of taxing and spending levels, and their approaches to economic stimulus and deficit reduction. A series of high profile showdowns between President Obama and the Democrats in the Senate on the one side, and the Republicans in the House on the other, have largely resulted in decisions on long-term budget issues being continually delayed.

Both the Senate Democrats and the House Republicans have passed budget proposals for Fiscal Year 2014, and just this week the White House has released its budget. The White house plan has drawn the ire from across the political spectrum, with Democrats up in arms over changes to Social Security and Republicans calling it “dead on arrival” because of calls for new revenue.

All sides have expressed a desire to reduce federal deficits – but President Obama is demanding a combination of tax increases and spending cuts to do so, while GOP leaders want all deficit reduction to come from spending cuts, including serious reductions in Medicare and other benefit programs.

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Earlier this month, President Obama signed the JOBS Act into law. At a time when there has been little bipartisan cooperation in Washington, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, which aims to give small businesses more access to capital, made its way through the House and Senate and on to the President’s desk. The provisions of the new law represent only a small portion of the broad plan the President has laid out for job creation, but both Republicans and Democrats praised it as being a positive step towards creating jobs, getting Americans back to work, and possible future cooperation.

The JOBS Act, originally drafted by Representatives Stephen Fincher (R-TN) and John Carney (D-DE), is a collection of several smaller pieces of legislation that aim to increase access to capital for small businesses. Many observers feel the law reflects a desire by both parties during an election year to show they are doing all they can to create jobs and provide a climate where start-ups and smaller companies can flourish.

Attachments:

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[The American JOBS Act]

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Monday, April 2 nd , saw the official release to the public of the detailed information gathered during the 1940 census. To say that the census information has been popular would be a gross understatement. The National Archives, the agency tasked with storing, organizing, and sharing census information, reported that in the first three hours after the information was released, their website received over 22 million hits.

The sheer volume of web traffic outpaced estimates and slowed servers for much of the first day. Throughout the day on Monday, many users were only able to access periphery functions and information, while larger files and images were delayed or would not load at all. Staff at The Archives worked to streamline functions on the website and increase server capacity, and by Tuesday, most users reported that they were able to find the information they were looking for.

Attachments:

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[ A Look Back: The U.S. Releasing 1940 Census Data ]

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Out of all the megacorporations that dominate the world of international trade, and which regularly draw a mix of scorn and skepticism over their business practices even from the consumers that rely on them, Apple had long enjoyed a unique popularity.

Its sleek design, high quality and intuitive products, and the rebellious, troubled-genius image that its founder Steve Jobs continued to project even as he led the world’s largest publicly traded company created a powerful brand and an often intense loyalty. Even with mounting reports of troubling labor practices on the part of Apple suppliers in China, the company seemed adept at sidestepping the tarnish of sweatshop labor, perhaps because the clean, whirring production floors of the IT industry seem so different than cramped and chaotic garment industry factories.

Attachments:

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[Apple’s Agreement with the FLA signals Progress on Workers’ Rights ]

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In March, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined with former President Bill Clinton to announce a novel new city program – the Chicago Infrastructure Trust.

The proposed Trust will bring to Chicago a development model – that of joint public-private investments – that has proven to be a dynamic and cost effective mechanism in other countries but which has not yet gained traction in the US. As the US faces a looming infrastructure crunch and a federal government that is proving utterly incapable of addressing the country’s long term planning needs, the innovation is coming not a moment too soon.

Attachments:

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[Chicago’s Bold Blueprint for Urban Development ]

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