Video: Union representative challenges citywide layoffs

May 31, 2011

A union representative from the Bronx shares the city's struggle in keeping its employees on payroll. From its libraries to its law enforcement agency, layoffs are occurring across the board, says Phyllis Streeter.

Video: Child care provider loses children to lost jobs

May 31, 2011

Children come and go to Melanie Collins' home on a daily basis. Parents drop them off on their way to work and pick them up on their way home, but when a parent loses his or her job, Collins' services go unneeded. And it hurts to know the challenges that family must now live with.

Video: Teacher sees little relief in Cleveland

May 31, 2011

A Cleveland teacher shares his school's struggle as Ohio's budget deficit mounts. Justin Hons said in October that stimulus money helped stymie the schools' suffering last year, but now, the Cleveland schools are sending warning signs this upcoming school year must face the cuts.

What Went Wrong

Donald Barlett and James Steele are revisiting America: What Went Wrong, their landmark 1991 newspaper series, in a new project with the Investigative Reporting Workshop. Over the next year, the project team will examine how four decades of public policy has shaped America's ongoing economic crisis.

Issues

Back Story

The authors talk about What Went Wrong

Donald Barlett and James Steele talk about the project, and why they decided to revisit a book they wrote two decades ago, in a series of video clips produced by the Workshop.

Nation's Story

Who pays the taxes?

Who pays the taxes?

We feature charts, maps, photos and other visualizations that reflect the state of the economy as part of our What Went Wrong project. This column chart shows the growing disparity between what individuals and corporations pay in taxes. In the 1950s, the difference was 22 percent. Recent figures show the difference is 62 percent.

Rags to rags: Economic mobility hard to come by

New Pew Center on States report confirms that moving up the American economic ladder is difficult, even though most people have more income than their parents.

Homelessness takes it toll on Florida's youngest

Florida, as a center of the housing boom, still struggles to recover from the Great Recession. Financial stresses and widespread foreclosures have placed families in precarious situations, resulting in a spike in child homelessness. Susannah Nesmith reports in the Broward Bulldog.

Older workers face challenges in Silicon Valley

An advanced degree and experience in the tech sector should be a ticket to a job in today's economy. But older workers in the heart of the new economy, Silicon Valley, are finding their resume is not the issue. Aaron Glantz reports in The Bay Citizen.

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Read an Excerpt

The Betrayal of the American Dream on Google Books

The Betrayal of the American Dream on Google Books

Check out the first chapter of Barlett and Steele's 2012 book here.