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Principles for an Immigration Policy to Strengthen and Expand the American Middle Class
Policy debates are often won or lost based on how the issues at stake are framed. We offer a new report that reframes immigration reform in terms of the shared economic interests of immigrants and the middle class.


We show how bolstering workplace rights and the economic contributions of undocumented immigrants will benefit the middle class. But that's not all: we also present a powerful middle-class litmus test for judging future federal immigration policy.  More»
The Death of Why: the Decline of Questioning and the Future of Democracy
By Andrea Batista Schlesinger. Read the book the Los Angeles Times praised for “asking us to take a step back from politics in order to gain newfound respect for the political process” and for highlighting the power of questions.
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Progressive Activists and Policy Specialists at Your Service
The Drum Major Insitute for Public Policy has a wide array of experts available for direct quotes, background information, and speaking engagements...
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• Date on which Tom DeLay first appeared to do the Cha Cha on “Dancing with the Stars”: 9/21/2009
• Date on which DeLay described himself as “insane or stupid” and withdrew himself from the show due to a medical injury: 10/6/2009
• Date on which then House Majority Leader Tom DeLay brought legislation to the floor which would make it harder for insolvent households to declare bankruptcy: 4/14/2005
• Proportion of personal bankruptcies in the U.S. that can be traced to medical causes: 3 in 5
• Number of uninsured Americans in 2008, the most recent year for which data are available: 46.3 million
• Number of Americans who lost employer-sponsored health coverage between 2007 and 2008, but remained insured due to public programs: 3 million
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Amy Traub on NYC Economy in The NY Times
In a New York Times online piece, DMI’s Amy Traub argues that New York City can reduce inequities and spread the benefits of economic recovery more widely by enacting policies to strengthen living and prevailing wages and to give all working New Yorkers the right to earn paid sick time. The piece is part of the Room for Debate forum featured this week in the opinion and N.Y./region sections. 
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Visit the DMI Archive
Click ''Archive'' on the top navigation bar and search through DMI’s virtual archive by subject area, author, or type of media (report, op-ed, press release, or mention of DMI's work in the news.)   More»
DMI Op-Ed in the Albany Times Union: Gear up public transit funds
By John Petro & Dan Morris | The Albany Times Union | August 26, 2010. Heading into the fall elections, state lawmakers don't want to talk about the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and public transit. It's yet another fiscal crisis for which they bear a lot of responsibility. If they don't start addressing it soon, people across the state will be asked to pick up an increasingly hefty tab.  More»
Demonizing the public sector harms the middle class
By Amy Traub | The Hill | August 26, 2010. The nation’s middle class is under attack. The recession hit private businesses and public budgets hard, but Americans’ ability to attain or hold onto a middle-class standard of living may be the ultimate victim. We’re losing jobs, losing services we depend on, losing pay and benefits. Yet instead of working to build up the middle class, a growing chorus of pundits insists that dragging down city and state workers across the country is the answer to our economic woes. Democratic mayors and governors fall for this ploy at their peril: it threatens the nation’s economic recovery, and feeds into conservatives’ anti-government, anti-worker agenda.  More»
A Push for Paid Sick Leave in PA and Philly
By Jake Blumgart | The Philadelphia Inquirer | August 16, 2010. For almost half of Pennsylvania's workforce, the decision to take a sick day will come down to money. Business interests routinely oppose paid sick leave legislation, claiming that even modest benefits will harm the economy and kill jobs, but a recent study by the Drum Major Institute shows that paid sick leave isn't the job killer its opponents claim.   More»
Immigration and the Middle Class on Long Island
With Long Island WINS, we released a Suffolk County Legislative Scorecard grading how legislators there voted during 2008 and 2009 on immigration and other issues that impact the middle class. Read the report, and check out the Newsday story.  More»
GOP Vilifies Workers Who Serve the Public
By Fred Redmond | The Hill | August 12, 2010. For the past several months, the GOP has declared open season on the public service workers they so despise, portraying them as over paid and underworked. Amy Traub, Research Director for the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, wrote about the Republican assertions. “It would be an alarming story,” she said, “if it were true.”  More»
Will Florida Imperil the Future of High-Speed Rail?
By John Petro | Huffington Post | August 11, 2010. But once the first train rolls out of the station and picks up speed -- eventually reaching 160 miles per hour -- will HSR attract enough riders to be declared a success? Will it have the power to transform Florida's sprawling, automobile-dependent landscape into more sustainable forms? There is a whole lot at stake; if Florida's HSR line doesn't attract enough riders and is perceived as a failure, it will difficult for future lines in other cities and states to secure the necessary political support to move forward.  More»
War on Public Workers
In a piece for The Nation, which was later referenced by Ben Smith at Politico and posted on NPR, DMI's Amy Traub takes on the conservative assault on public sector workers, pointing out that the lavish lifestyle of public workers is a myth. In fact, state and local employees earn 11 to 12 percent less than comparable private sector workers.  More»
Shaping NYC’s Post-Recession Economic Agenda
From Disaster to Diversity: What’s Next for New York City’s Economy?, reveals how to retain a vibrant financial sector and diversify the economy in ways that will drive job creation, spur growth, generate revenue, expand opportunity, and strengthen vulnerable communities. To order your copy, email dmi@drummajorinstitute.org.  More»
Reconnecting Washington to Cities
In an op-ed for Washington newspaper The Hill, DMI's Harry Moroz calls on President Obama to differentiate himself from past presidents by pushing Congress to act in the best interests of cities. Harry argues that the White House Office of Urban Affairs must advocate for smart ideas from mayors and defend urban innovation. And in a piece for Next American City, Harry highlights L.A.'s ambitious public transit plan as a model for other cities.  More»
Living Wage Bill at City Hall
A broad coalition of New York City Council Members, labor leaders, and advocates has rallied around a new living wage bill, as The New York Times, the Daily News, and The New York Observer report. At DMI's recent Marketplace of Ideas forum, City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito and Comptroller John Liu both expressed strong support for wage and job standards in private economic development projects subsidized with public money. Visit DMI's YouTube channel for more clips from the event.  More»

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