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An article in Friday’s "Idaho Statesman" detailed the struggles unions have had in the state since the passage of “Right-to-Work” in 1985. Between 1985 and 2012, AFL-CIO membership in the state dropped from 41,300 to 11,000. Currently 29,000 Idahoans are members of unions, though 7,000 of those members choose not to pay dues.

As we enter into yet another round of budget discussions, the Democratic Party is confronted with an opportunity – and a challenge. There’s an opportunity to shift the budget debate to an area where they hold the high ground. But it will be a challenge for some Democrats to take the initiative on a subject they seem reluctant to discuss. The subject is taxes.

America is the richest country on Earth. We have the most millionaires, the most billionaires and our wealthiest citizens have garnered more of the planet’s riches than any other group in the world. We even have hedge fund managers who make in one hour as much as the average family makes in 21 years!

A new report from the National Institute on Retirement Security concludes that the United States faces a staggering retirement savings deficit. America’s families are between $6.8 trillion and $14 trillion short of recommended retirement savings targets, it says, according to financial services firms.

The big lie in American politics today is that “America is broke” or “in this time of austerity we have to tighten our belts.” America is not broke. We are not in a time of “scarcity” and when we buy into this fallacy, we contribute to political decisions that actually will do damage to our standard of living and that of our children.

Congress and the president are going to do exactly what voters elected them to do; they are going to cut Social Security by 3 percent. You don’t remember anyone running on that platform? Yeah, well, they probably forgot to mention it.

Because the federal minimum wage is not tied to inflation it loses buying power in most years. If Congress does not act, it is projected to lose 20 percent of its real value in the next 10 years. The federal minimum wage would now be $10.58 if it had kept pace with the cost of living since its peak of purchasing power in 1968.

In the recently convened “lame-duck” session of Congress, senators and representatives will take on a number of issues that could have major consequences for working families and retirees. Congress is considering benefit cuts for Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare and members are looking at cutting taxes for the wealthy even further.

God did bless Texas, but when we talk about social statistics, and the general welfare of our citizens - we’re always reminded to give thanks for Mississippi.

In the old progressive narrative of American culture, everyone would do better over time. The son of a miner with an 8th grade education would graduate from high school, and even if he got an industrial job, stronger unions and general prosperity would mean that he worked fewer hours than his father and earned enough to buy a small house.