One of things that shocked Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists (and past Guild members) Donald L. Barlett and James W. Steele when they were researching their latest book is that nearly 85,000 pension plans have vanished since 1985. While some have been replaced by 401(k) plans, the authors make clear they are less secure and less valuable - - in 2011 the median value of 401(k) accounts in the United States was $17,686, Steele recently told an audience at the AFL-CIO.

Freelancers -- not just writers, but all temporary and contract workers -- often get stiffed when it comes to payment. Now the Freelancers Union is fighting back, with a website dubbed the 'World's Longest Invoice,' currently tracking more than $12 million owed by deadbeat clients.

A member of Patriotic Millionaires, Tilson writes that asking the very rich to pay more in taxes is not class warfare -- and it's not even a sacrifice for the truly wealthy. "I think most people agree with the idea of shared sacrifice, but for many, when push comes to shove, that principle goes out the window. I don’t kid myself that I’m making any real sacrifices. The men and women who have been fighting for the past decade in Iraq and Afghanistan — thousands of them coming home in coffins or with missing limbs — are making true sacrifices. And when they enter the domestic workforce, they shouldn’t have to pay taxes at a significantly higher rate than the vast majority of millionaires."