Op-eds
La Opinion: El Juez Gorsuch no es un juez imparcial; el Senado debe bloquear su confirmación
Es difícil conseguir y contratar a un abogado para ir a corte, pero a veces los trabajadores necesitan demandar a las grandes corporaciones por discriminación. A veces los consumidores necesitan demandar a grandes corporaciones porque fueron engañados. A veces los empleados necesitan demandar por el derecho de tener acceso a cuidado médico, u otros derechos que son garantizados a nivel federal. Las cortes deben ser árbitros neutrales, asegurando que las dos … Continue Reading
March 22, 2017
Washington Post Op-Ed: Elizabeth Warren and Joe Donnelly: Trump’s SEC chairman must look out for American families — not big corporations
Thursday, President Trump's nominee for chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Jay Clayton, will testify before the Senate Banking Committee. As members of that committee, we will evaluate his candidacy, not on behalf of Wall Street, but on behalf of the American people. America's middle class was built on a social contract between businesses and workers - and the idea that the success of one relies on the success of the other. A strong middle class drives our economic growth. … Continue Reading
March 20, 2017
Boston Globe Op-Ed: Neil Gorsuch does not belong on the Supreme Court
WHEN JUSTICE Antonin Scalia died last year, giant corporations and their right-wing buddies spent millions of dollars to keep the Supreme Court seat open so that Donald Trump could fill the vacancy. It was only the latest step in their campaign to tilt our courts in favor of big corporations and the wealthy. Now, the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court is their reward. Anyone who believes in a neutral Supreme Court guided by equal justice for all should oppose this … Continue Reading
March 13, 2017
Patriot Ledger Op-Ed: Gutting the Affordable Care Act will make fighting opioid epidemic much harder
Substance abuse is an epidemic plaguing far too many communities throughout Massachusetts. It's a public health emergency that requires a coordinated response between local, state, and federal officials in partnership with families, health care providers, and law enforcement. There's plenty that both Massachusetts and Congress needs to do to address this crisis, but one thing is certain: our job will get a whole lot harder if Washington Republicans succeed in passing their proposed … Continue Reading
March 03, 2017
JAMA Internal Medicine Op-ed: Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids: The Path Forward
Untreated hearing loss is a major health problem in the United States, particularly for older Americans. Approximately 48 million Americans, including half of those in their 70s, have hearing loss in at least 1 ear. The risk of hearing loss in older adults is about 10 to 20 times higher than the risk of heart disease and 100 times higher than the risk of cancer. Despite the large numbers with hearing loss, only a small share-roughly 14%, according to one analysis-actually use a hearing … Continue Reading
January 19, 2017
Washington Post Op-Ed: Elizabeth Warren: Trump’s nominees are putting us all at risk by ignoring ethics laws
President-elect Donald Trump is selecting nominees to run his government. It's no secret that I have deep reservations about the policy views of many of these nominees. I will vote against some of them. But before we can debate and vote on whether these nominees' policy positions make them suitable to run important parts of our government, it is critical that each nominee follows basic ethics rules to ensure that they will act for the benefit of all the American people and not simply to boost … Continue Reading
January 18, 2017
CNN Op-Ed: Elizabeth Warren: Trump, show us you'll stand up for workers
Over the past eight years, President Barack Obama has advanced strong executive actions and federal rules that have provided millions of people with better wages, better benefits and stronger protections in the workplace. On Friday, a new president will move into the Oval Office. He will face a stark choice -- expand on those efforts or destroy them. Despite years of flat wages and exploding fixed costs such as housing, education and health care, Republicans in Congress have long refused even … Continue Reading
January 15, 2017
Boston Globe Op-Ed: The GOP’s strategy for Obamacare? Repeal and run.
FOR EIGHT YEARS, Republicans in Congress have complained about health care in America, heaping most of the blame on President Obama. Meanwhile, they've hung out on the sidelines making doomsday predictions and cheering every stumble, but refusing to lift a finger to actually improve our health care system. The GOP is about to control the White House, Senate, and House. So what's the first thing on their agenda? Are they working to bring down premiums and deductibles? Are they making fixes to … Continue Reading
December 01, 2016
The Patriot Ledger Op-Ed: Natural gas projects prioritize profit over safety
Because we must import nearly all of our fossil fuels from other states or abroad, Massachusetts must be very thoughtful about energy policy and how it affects both our families and our businesses. Over the last decade, we have helped lead the nation in innovations about how to produce and use energy, making significant advances in energy efficiency, clean energy, and a modernized electricity grid. But not all changes move us into a more secure future. Pending proposals to construct natural … Continue Reading
September 08, 2016
New York Times Op-Ed: What Apple Teaches Us About Taxes
Apple got a big surprise last week when the European Commission ordered Ireland to collect more than $14 billion in back taxes from the company. The global giant had been attributing billions of dollars in profits to a phantom head office, allowing it to pay a tax rate of 1 percent or lower. Both Apple and Ireland are appealing the decision, but the commission's announcement was the latest sign that multinational corporations are running out of places to hide from paying taxes. The door is … Continue Reading
August 10, 2016
New England Journal of Medicine Op-Ed: Strengthening Research through Data Sharing
Data sharing has incredible potential to strengthen academic research, the practice of medicine, and the integrity of the clinical trial system. Some benefits are obvious: when researchers have access to complete data, they can answer new questions, explore different lines of analysis, and more efficiently conduct large-scale analyses across trials. Other advantages, such as providing a guardrail against conflicts of interest in a clinical trial system in which external sponsorship of research … Continue Reading
June 06, 2016
CNN Op-Ed: Elizabeth Warren: Republicans, stop obstructing Obama
Just hours after news broke of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's passing, Donald Trump gave Senate Republicans three words of advice on filling the vacancy: "delay, delay, delay." Senate Republicans didn't need his advice: that has been their strategy for years. Before Barack Obama set foot in the Oval Office, Sen. Mitch McConnell and his Republican colleagues decided to block him at every turn -- no matter what. They publicly promised to make government work, but away from the cameras … Continue Reading
May 02, 2016
Chicago Sun-Times Op-Ed: How to give people on Social Security a fairer shake
In 2009, a Chicagoan by the name of David Voigt lost his job. He applied for job after job. He even tried finding work in different fields and new careers - but, like so many others at the peak of the recession, he just couldn't find work with the economy doing as poorly as it was. After five years of struggling to get by and make ends meet, Mr. Voigt was on the brink of homelessness when he was able to officially retire and apply for Social Security at the age of 62. His Social Security … Continue Reading
April 07, 2016
Huffington Post Op-Ed: Hard-Working Americans Who Play By the Rules Deserve Retirement Security
Doctors have a sworn obligation to put the best interests of their patients' above all other interests, including their own. Lawyers have a professional responsibility to protect the best interests of their clients above any other interests, including their own. But, remarkably, financial advisers are allowed to recommend products to unsuspecting customers that are a great deal for the adviser, but not for the person seeking advice. While most advisors put their clients' interests first, some … Continue Reading
March 07, 2016
TalkPoverty.org Op-ed: Why Seniors- Not CEOs- Deserve a Raise
Any conversation about tackling poverty in the United States should include protecting and expanding Social Security. The reason is pretty straightforward: Social Security is the most powerful tool available to lift people out of poverty. Nearly two-thirds of seniors depend on Social Security for the majority of their income, and millions more children and adults depend upon survivors and disability benefits. According to Center for Budget and Policy Priorities analysis of Census data, Social … Continue Reading
February 29, 2016
Boston Globe Op-Ed: How to level the playing field for working families
I GRADUATED FROM law school nine months pregnant with my second baby - and 100 percent unemployable. In 1976, no law firm was going to offer a job to a woman in my "condition," and even if it did, it was perfectly legal to fire me for taking time off when my son was born. Then things began to change. Twenty-three years ago this month, the landmark Family and Medical Leave Act, or FMLA, was signed into law. Today, most American workers can take unpaid time off to care for a family member or … Continue Reading
January 29, 2016
New York Times Op-Ed: One Way to Rebuild Our Institutions
WASHINGTON - WHILE presidential candidates from both parties feverishly pitch their legislative agendas, voters should also consider what presidents can do without Congress. Agency rules, executive actions and decisions about how vigorously to enforce certain laws will have an impact on every American, without a single new bill introduced in Congress. The Obama administration has a substantial track record on agency rules and executive actions. It has used these tools to protect retirement … Continue Reading
January 08, 2016
Worcester Telegram & Gazette Op-Ed: Learning to cut child poverty
Last month, Congress took a step to help millions of children escape poverty. Across the country, roughly sixteen million children live in poverty, including more than half the children in public schools. In Massachusetts, 208,000 children live below the poverty line. Poverty is hard on children. Poor children are more likely to have low birth weights, more trouble learning to read, and more problems getting along in school. These early disadvantages never go away. As adults, children reared … Continue Reading
November 11, 2015
CNN.com Op-Ed: Give Social Security recipients a CEO-style raise
On Veterans Day we recognize and honor the sacrifices our service members and their families make for our country. We owe our service members the very best, but unless Congress acts, on January 1 more than 9 million veterans who rely on Social Security benefits or pension and compensation benefits will not get their annual cost of living increase. This freeze in funds, which has happened only two other times since 1975, will be really tough on veterans among the 71 million Americans who … Continue Reading
October 20, 2015
Huffington Post Op-Ed: The Banking Industry's Transparent Attempt to Weaken the CFPB
You'll never guess who's going around Washington, trolling the halls of Congress, talking about the importance of protecting the long-term health of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The banking industry. That's right: After years of trying to kill, then delay, and then defang the agency, the banking industry and their Republican friends in Congress have launched a new effort to attract Democratic support for their latest attack by claiming that they just want to help the agency and … Continue Reading
