I Paid My Income Tax Today
After six years of decline, The Internal Revenue Service is once again beefing up its staff to increase tax payment compliance. Does this mean you, the taxpayer, are more likely to be targeted for a personal tax return audit? Read this article and assess your odds.

Get Wal-Mart! - Two Unions Back Attack
What is the real motive behind such organizations as Wal-Mart Watch and Wake Up Wal-Mart? Were they formed to ensure protection against labor abuses by the world’s largest retailer, or to solicit membership (and thus dollars) for the labor unions? This article explores who really funds these Wal-Mart witch hunters and which political camps support them.

Oh Labor, Where Art Thou? - Some counties are frozen in amber.
Labor availability can be a site-selection deal breaker for corporations seeking locations for new industrial facilities. This article identifies U.S. counties that had chronically high and low unemployment rates during an 84-month study period (2000-2006), and showcases some interesting demographic differences between the two groups.

Ted vs. Ted - We'll take Stevens in the 5th by a KO.
Ironically, 2007 is the Chinese Year of the Pig as this article examines pork barrel spending among the states. Which states historically have the highest and lowest federal expenditures per dollar of federal taxes? Hint: Alaska (home state of “Bridge to Nowhere” Senator Ted Stevens) is lavished in lard while Massachusetts (home of Senator Ted Kennedy) feeds near the bottom of the pork barrel. Where does your state rank?

Mommy's in the Big House - U.S. prisons continue to experience an alarming increase in the number of incarcerated women.
Disturbing statistics show a 757% jump in the U.S. women’s prison population from 1977 to 2004. This article cites contributing factors for this increase, the adverse effects on society, as well as the disparity in female incarcerations rates among the states.

Workers' Comp Steamrolls Industry - And You Thought Healthcare Insurance Was Out of Control!
For five consecutive years, workers’ compensation premiums for employers in the U.S. have risen at rates faster than employee benefits and medical care.

Predictors of a Successful Life - And all these years we thought it was about parenting.
Can the state where a child lives affect how successful that child will ultimately become? The Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) Research Center recently released interesting data that claims just that.

Mighty Frauds From Little ACORNs Grow
ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) touts itself as a group whose goal is social justice and stronger communities for low- to moderate-income families. Do its ties to organized labor, as well as controversial practices highlighted recently in the media, truly epitomize that initiative?

House Rich...Cash Poor
Can Granny afford to continue living in her home without dipping into its equity for her basic living expenses? This article examines the rise in senior citizens who are forced to liquidate or borrow against this most valuable asset to pay for food, utilities and spiraling healthcare costs.