Josh Harkinson

Reporter

Born in Texas and based in San Francisco, Josh covers the economy, corporations, and a wide range of political issues in California and the West.

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Short Takes: "Detropia"

—By Josh Harkinson

| Tue Sep. 4, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

Detropia

LOKI FILMS

85 minutes

This brilliant film by the creators of the Oscar-nominated 2006 documentary Jesus Camp opens in the Detroit Opera House with a performance of Nabucco—a Verdi work that follows the plight of the Jews exiled from Babylon. Juxtaposed with visual evidence of the city's exodus—Detroit has lost half its population, and the opera house is itself near bankruptcy—it's an apt opening to a eulogy for the nation's most dystopian city. However, in once-vibrant neighborhoods that have turned into overgrown wastelands, Detropia finds grim beauty and a wealth of hopeful lessons for America's middle class. Among them: Destruction can unleash creativity, if we're brave enough to let it.

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26 Corporations That Paid Their CEOs More Than Uncle Sam

Plus: Four executive-pay loopholes that cost taxpayers $14 billion a year.

—By Josh Harkinson

| Thu Aug. 16, 2012 12:01 AM PDT

Uncle Sam, painted by James Montgomery Flagg

Where's my money? Painting by James Montgomery Flagg/Wikipedia Commons

In recent months corporate America has been lobbying the heck out of Washington to lower tax rates on businesses. As it should, defenders say, because corporations have a duty to maximize their return to investors. But if boosting profits were the goal, then you'd think more big companies would stop complaining about taxes, and look instead at an even greater expense: the bloated salaries of their chief executives.

In a just-released report, the Institute for Policy Studies details 26 megacorporations that paid one guy (their CEO) more than they spent on their entire federal tax bills last year. (See our interactive graph below—whoa! Halliburton!) These same companies averaged $1.4 billion in profits—which were announced, in some cases, around the same time they were announcing massive layoffs.

[Read the full article]

Chalk a Sidewalk, Go to Jail

MAP: Across the nation, police are arresting adults and even citing kids for temporary drawings.

—By Josh Harkinson

| Tue Aug. 14, 2012 3:01 AM PDT

One of these people is going to jail flash2000/Flickr Cuff 'em! Flash200/Flickr

"I draws what I like and I like what I drew!" sings Bert, the affable sidewalk artist in Disney's Mary Poppins. He doesn't know how easy he's got it. If Bert lived in one of a dozen American cities, his colorful chalk drawings of boats and circus animals could very well land him in jail.

[Read the full article]

Snooki Reads Mother Jones

—By Josh Harkinson

| Wed Aug. 8, 2012 3:29 PM PDT

What does the cast of Jersey Shore do when they're not going to the gym, tanning, and doing laundry? Read Mother Jones, of course:

Jersey Shore Politics from Snooki

MTV filmed the skit to promote Power Of 12, its effort to get out the youth vote this November. Jason Rzepka, MTV's vice-president of public affairs, told me that its producers wanted Snooki to be reading a political magazine, and their choice of Mother Jones "reflects the impact of your brand and reporting." (It could also reflect the fact that Snooki is soon to be a mother).

Whether Mother Jones actually appeals to Snooki is less clear. Last month she told Newt Gingrich: "I'm trying to be like you," but then, she might have just been making fun of his efforts to cash in on his celebrity. Whatever Snooki's political affiliations, we're happy for the endorsement. Snooki fans can sign up for a subscription here.

Apple's $88 Million Tax Break Doesn't Compute for Nevada

How the high-flying tech company just nabbed the largest corporate tax exemption in the state's history.

—By Josh Harkinson

| Wed Aug. 8, 2012 3:01 AM PDT

If corporate America is going to lead the way out of the recession, then Apple would seem to be its Horatio Alger. The expansion of the nation's most lucrative tech company into cloud computing is driving demand for vast data centers and the workers needed to build and maintain them. Just last week, Apple gained approval to build a $1 billion server farm in Reno, Nevada—a state that suffers from the nation's worst budget deficit and highest unemployment rate.

But Apple's move will do little to nothing to solve Nevada's employment and budget woes. To the contrary, before Apple would agree to break ground in the Silver State, it demanded and received $88 million in state and local tax breaks—the largest corporate tax exemption in Nevada history. What's more, the deal doesn't even require that Apple create new jobs or hire locals.

[Read the full article]