Home » Archive by Tags

Articles tagged with: economic crisis

What Obama Must Do, and Cannot
Saturday, 30 Jan, 2010 – 6:00 | 2 Comments
What Obama Must Do, and Cannot

Tom Hayden: Obama may succeed in withdrawing 100,000 American troops from Iraq this year, and the rest by 2012. But even this goal faces opposition from the Green Zone to the Beltway, and any peace dividend will be swallowed by Afghanistan and the Long War.

Why Freeze Spending on Only Part of the Budget?
Friday, 29 Jan, 2010 – 6:00 | 5 Comments
Why Freeze Spending on Only Part of the Budget?

Ivan Eland: President Obama’s rationale for not including these security expenditures in his discretionary spending freeze is that he is prosecuting two wars. Aside from the obvious solution of ending the two conflicts—which are part of the “war on terror” but have had the counterproductive effect of increasing retaliatory terrorism—and cutting back the defense budget, defense spending could be reduced even if the two war efforts are sustained.

A Little Perspective, Yes?
Sunday, 24 Jan, 2010 – 6:00 | 19 Comments
A Little Perspective, Yes?

Dick Price: To get elected, we understood that Obama had to take a pragmatic approach. But underneath the pragmatism, we were attracted to the compassionate world view, the deep ability to grasp complex issues, and the eloquence to voice our best hopes and dreams for the future that we saw, and see, in the man—traits that had been so woefully absent in George W. Bush fear-mongering, hate-mongering, war-mongering reign.

Massachusetts Debacle
Wednesday, 20 Jan, 2010 – 6:00 | 10 Comments
Massachusetts Debacle

John Peeler: The defeat of Martha Coakley in the race to succeed Ted Kennedy certainly shows the folly of taking victory for granted and failing to mount a serious campaign. But it also puts on display the complete political incompetence of the Obama administration and the national leadership of the Democratic Party and the Congress.

Will the GOP Find a New Reagan?
Wednesday, 25 Nov, 2009 – 9:45 | No Comment
Will the GOP Find a New Reagan?

The question is whether today’s conservative Republicans understand that they cannot save their party by destroying it. Too many on the right have tried to conciliate a base that craves ideological purity. But ideological purity does not lead to victory. It leads to irrelevance.

New York Times: “American Workers Are Overpaid”
Thursday, 19 Nov, 2009 – 8:49 | One Comment
New York Times: “American Workers Are Overpaid”

If recent resistance by IBEW and UNITE HERE members are any indication, the Times’ BreakingNews folks and corporate America have a long way to go before convincing workers that it is they, rather than their high-paid, amply-bonused bosses, whose compensation should be downsized.

Think First About the Unemployed, Not the Politicians … and Act
Saturday, 14 Nov, 2009 – 6:00 | One Comment
Think First About the Unemployed, Not the Politicians … and Act

What’s happening to the lives of the legions out of work – particularly the young men and women – has to take second place to the fortune of the President and his party. The human crisis would be real regardless of who is in the Oval Office and is what should move the President and the Congress to do the right thing.

One Year Later: Unrest within the Obama Base
Tuesday, 10 Nov, 2009 – 12:31 | No Comment
One Year Later: Unrest within the Obama Base

In fairness, Obama never promised progressive voters a rose garden. Genuine and far-reaching change requires sustained political organizing at the grassroots. It cannot be achieved by virtue of any election.

LA Progressive: October 4 to 10, 2009
Sunday, 11 Oct, 2009 – 5:26 | One Comment
LA Progressive: October 4 to 10, 2009

Obama Trapped Behind Wall of Mideast Containment: It’s the Iranians, Stupid. In reality, Obama’s troubles are not caused primarily by “the bad guys,” nor by Israel’s supposed power or that of the domestic “Israeli lobby,” …

Surprise: The Left Is Not Going Away
Saturday, 10 Oct, 2009 – 6:06 | No Comment
Surprise: The Left Is Not Going Away

The much touted decline of the European left turned out to be pretty much of a mirage. The continent’s politics are being realigned not in spite of but because of the economic crisis. And the much of the gain has gone to the left – taken as a whole.

So Much Happening in Washington and So Little to Show for It, So Far
Friday, 9 Oct, 2009 – 6:00 | No Comment
So Much Happening in Washington and So Little to Show for It, So Far

The public doesn’t know what’s going on because the national media would rather report on the sexual escapades of famous people or social trends or high finance (a recent Pew study of economic reporting shows the vast majority of stories about the Great Recession have focused on Wall Street rather than Main Street).

The Fix
Friday, 4 Sep, 2009 – 16:02 | No Comment
The Fix

To start fixing America, we must give elections back to voters. They need easy access to accurate information so they can evaluate all office seekers and issues fairly and independently.

Half Measures and Lukewarm “Reform” Won’t Save the Middle Class
Friday, 4 Sep, 2009 – 9:26 | No Comment
Half Measures and Lukewarm “Reform” Won’t Save the Middle Class

The 30-year class war the rich launched against the working people in this country (and reached its apogee during the George W. Bush years), has left the middle class reeling and wounded. Only bold federal action that puts something concrete in the palms of middle-class Americans can begin to turn these dire social conditions around.

Fascism: Are We There Yet?
Sunday, 16 Aug, 2009 – 15:02 | One Comment
Fascism: Are We There Yet?

It is up to us to defend and improve our democracy more effectively than the Germans of 80 years ago. This implies not only vigilance and willingness to do political battle, but as important, a willingness to acknowledge and respond to the real concerns of honest conservatives who might otherwise be seduced by Rush Limbaugh and his colleagues.

Washing Dishes for Change
Thursday, 13 Aug, 2009 – 16:41 | One Comment
Washing Dishes for Change

The companies too big to fail have grown larger. The financial companies still run under the same model and free of much regulation like before.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Knife Play
Friday, 24 Jul, 2009 – 18:00 | One Comment
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Knife Play

Now we have a Republican governor in California who sees the state’s current budget catastrophe as nothing but a big joke. Why else would Arnold Schwarzenegger post a tasteless Twitter video where he wields a two-foot-long folding knife boasting about his budget-cutting prowess?

President Obama’s Politics of Dignity
Monday, 20 Jul, 2009 – 17:07 | One Comment
President Obama’s Politics of Dignity

President Obama knows that solutions won’t arise out of politics as usual. His personification of dignitarian politics resonates not only with Americans but around the world.

Does the Obama Plan for Reforming Wall Street Measure Up?
Saturday, 20 Jun, 2009 – 16:36 | One Comment
Does the Obama Plan for Reforming Wall Street Measure Up?

In a word: No.
The plan doesn’t stop stop bankers from making huge, risky bets with other peoples’ money. It does increase capital requirements and oversight, but it doesn’t require bankers to take their pay in …

Constructing a California Budget That Is Least Injurious to the Most Vulnerable
Sunday, 14 Jun, 2009 – 20:07 | One Comment
Constructing a California Budget That Is Least Injurious to the Most Vulnerable

Resolving our fiscal crisis will require many very difficult decisions, but our guiding principle must be constructing a budget that is least injurious to the most vulnerable. While we will have to take quick action …

The Great Debt Scare: Why Has It Returned?
Thursday, 11 Jun, 2009 – 16:15 | One Comment
The Great Debt Scare: Why Has It Returned?

It’s the kind of thing I expect to hear from deficit hawks and chicken littles — from the self-described “fiscally responsible” right, from the scolds Ross Perot and Pete Peterson, from my former cabinet colleague …

The President’s American Recovery & Reinvestment Act: What We Don’t Know Can Hurt Us
Thursday, 7 May, 2009 – 15:23 | No Comment
The President’s American Recovery & Reinvestment Act: What We Don’t Know Can Hurt Us

One of the first things President Barack Obama did as our nation’s Chief Executive was to urge Congress to pass, then sign, the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA), better known as the nation’s “economic …

The Auto Bailout Is Going Off the Road
Sunday, 3 May, 2009 – 13:09 | No Comment
The Auto Bailout Is Going Off the Road

GM just announced it was laying of 21,000 more of its workers, as a means of assuring the Treasury Department the company is worthy of more bailout money. A Treasury official was quoted as saying …

The Great Credit Card Battle To Come
Friday, 24 Apr, 2009 – 14:00 | No Comment
The Great Credit Card Battle To Come

The next front in the banking wars will be over credit cards. Some of the nation’s biggest bankers — including representatives of Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, and other recipients of billions of taxpayer dollars — …

We Don’t Torture But Here Are the Things We Do Do
Tuesday, 21 Apr, 2009 – 7:35 | No Comment
We Don’t Torture But Here Are the Things We Do Do

Jon Stewart really hits the ball out of the park with this one. He asks, “does our country torture people?” Looks like we don’t torture but Jon Stewart provides us with a list of …

Where Government Spending Should be Trimmed — And Why It’s Necessary to Fast-Track Universal Health Care
Monday, 20 Apr, 2009 – 19:00 | 3 Comments
Where Government Spending Should be Trimmed — And Why It’s Necessary to Fast-Track Universal Health Care

It’s no accident that as Congress returns this week from its two-week recess and begins debate on the $3.5 trillion budget plans for the fiscal year starting in October — which may or may not …

Stimulus Mania: Is It The 21st Century Soup Line?
Friday, 17 Apr, 2009 – 17:21 | No Comment
Stimulus Mania: Is It The 21st Century Soup Line?

The efforts to jump start the economy in the United States, in hopes of causing a global ripple, have taken on an entirely new meaning as people and industry alike wait for the $787 billion …

A Short Citizen’s Guide to Kooks, Demagogues, and Right-Wingers On Tax Day
Friday, 17 Apr, 2009 – 15:20 | One Comment
A Short Citizen’s Guide to Kooks, Demagogues, and Right-Wingers On Tax Day

No one likes to pay taxes, so tax day typically attracts a range of right-wing Republicans, kooks, and demagogues, all of whom tell us how awful we have it. Herewith a short citizen’s guide (that …

African Americans and the Economic Crisis
Thursday, 16 Apr, 2009 – 10:08 | 2 Comments
African Americans and the Economic Crisis

Joe Biden was quite out front about it. On the same day the newspapers were trumpeting the news that President Obama had felt a “glimmer of hope” in the economic situation, the Vice-President was telling …

We Need More Stimulus, Not More Bailout
Wednesday, 15 Apr, 2009 – 10:50 | No Comment
We Need More Stimulus, Not More Bailout

With only $110 billion remaining in the TARP bailout fund, all signs are that Tim Geithner is preparing to return to Congress seeking more bailout money. He’ll bring along the results of his bank “stress …

Nationalizing Banks and Industry: Why Capitalists Hate Socialism
Friday, 10 Apr, 2009 – 14:44 | One Comment
Nationalizing Banks and Industry: Why Capitalists Hate Socialism

The United States has always been a political economy, requiring government regulation of its finance and money markets, and using government stimulation on its labor force. “Free Market” enterprise is based on the notion that …

Why We’re Not at the Beginning of the End, and Probably Not Even at the End of the Beginning
Friday, 10 Apr, 2009 – 10:01 | One Comment
Why We’re Not at the Beginning of the End, and Probably Not Even at the End of the Beginning

Are we at the beginning of the end?
Mortgage interests are now so low (the average rate on 30-year fixed mortgages was 4.87% Thursday, slightly higher than the 4.78% last week, but still the lowest level …

CSI Bailout, with William K. Black — Bill Moyers Journal Interview
Thursday, 9 Apr, 2009 – 16:01 | 2 Comments
CSI Bailout, with William K. Black — Bill Moyers Journal Interview

William K. Black suspects that it was more than greed and incompetence that brought down the U.S. financial sector and plunged the economy in recession — it was fraud. And he would know. When it …

A Year Without a Newspaper — The Best Year of My Life
Thursday, 9 Apr, 2009 – 13:27 | 3 Comments
A Year Without a Newspaper — The Best Year of My Life

Exactly one year ago Saturday I was fired as Editor of the Daily News, the newspaper I devoted 23 years of my life to, and like everybody else who worked there during that time, endured …

It Is As Bad As The 1930s
Wednesday, 8 Apr, 2009 – 15:56 | 11 Comments
It Is As Bad As The 1930s

So much for the Republican chant of “stimulus is bad” and “we need a balanced budget.”
Nobel Prize winning columnist Paul Krugman points out on his New York Times blog yesterday that the world economy right …

Why You Should Work for a Hedge Fund
Tuesday, 7 Apr, 2009 – 11:39 | No Comment
Why You Should Work for a Hedge Fund

Just because I lost a big chunk of my total retirement savings over the last year doesn’t mean I should be upset that 25 hedge-fund managers reaped a total of $11.6 billion during the same …

It’s a Depression
Sunday, 5 Apr, 2009 – 12:30 | No Comment
It’s a Depression

The March employment numbers, out this morning, are bleak: 8.5 percent of Americans officially unemployed, 663,000 more jobs lost. But if you include people who are out of work and have given up trying to …

The Administration’s Proposed Responsible Wall Streeter Tax Credit
Thursday, 2 Apr, 2009 – 11:36 | No Comment
The Administration’s Proposed Responsible Wall Streeter Tax Credit

The Administration is about to launch a new plan designed both to stimulate the economy and clean up Wall Street at the same time, the “Responsible Wall Streeter Tax Credit”.

Color of Law: U.S. Drug Policy Has Gone to Pot
Thursday, 2 Apr, 2009 – 9:36 | No Comment
Color of Law: U.S. Drug Policy Has Gone to Pot

In a recent online town hall meeting at the White House, President Obama was asked by the online audience whether he thought legalizing marijuana would create jobs and help the economy. It was the most popular question asked at the meeting.

AIG Bonuses: Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game
Friday, 27 Mar, 2009 – 14:04 | 2 Comments
AIG Bonuses: Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game

I watched this week as the nation’s furor turned towards employees of insurance giant American International Group (A.I.G.) and the $200 million-plus in retention bonus payments recently doled out to executives. Executives, who, as we …

AIG and the Undeserving Rich
Tuesday, 24 Mar, 2009 – 6:29 | No Comment
AIG and the Undeserving Rich

Charles Blow, the “moderate” who seems to write a lot of words but never takes a clear stand on anything, recently lamented on the op-ed page of the New York Times about what a small …

The Rich Countries’ Faltering “United Front”
Monday, 23 Mar, 2009 – 6:23 | No Comment
The Rich Countries’ Faltering “United Front”

By now we’ve heard “The worst economic crisis since the 1930s” – or words to that effect – so many times it’s become like a mantra. But as the days roll on it begins to …

Economic Recovery Will Be More than Trusting President Obama’s Stimulus Plan
Friday, 20 Mar, 2009 – 6:00 | One Comment
Economic Recovery Will Be More than Trusting President Obama’s Stimulus Plan

The Audacity Of Greed should be the title of President Obama’s next book. Never could he have imagined how tough getting out of an economic recession (borderline depression) when he signed up for the presidency. …

Hypocrisy in Government
Wednesday, 18 Mar, 2009 – 11:47 | No Comment
Hypocrisy in Government

Recent statements by President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, admitting that they were going to use the economic crisis to get other things done, is …

Blue Dog Democrats and Republican Triangulation
Tuesday, 17 Mar, 2009 – 14:36 | 11 Comments
Blue Dog Democrats and Republican Triangulation

Senator John McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain, has served up a devastating critique of the direction the Republican Party has taken recently. “If figureheads like Ann Coulter are turning me off,” Ms. McCain writes, “then they …

Is Obamanomics Conservative or Revolutionary?
Friday, 13 Mar, 2009 – 6:23 | One Comment
Is Obamanomics Conservative or Revolutionary?

There are two ways to see Obamanomics.
The first, much preferred by the White House, is as a set of initiatives so modest as to hardly merit a raised eyebrow. Yes, steps must be taken to …

Neo-Confederacy Erupts with Governors’ Rejection of Stimulus Money
Tuesday, 24 Feb, 2009 – 7:00 | 2 Comments
Neo-Confederacy Erupts with Governors’ Rejection of Stimulus Money

Southern Republican Governors Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Rick Perry of Texas, and Mark Sanford of South Carolina are making noises about “refusing” federal dollars from President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package. …

And Now Homeowners
Thursday, 19 Feb, 2009 – 14:32 | No Comment
And Now Homeowners

The two most important features of the administration’s plan to help homeowners are, first, its support for amending bankruptcy laws to allow judges to modify mortgages. This will give homeowners bargaining leverage with mortgage servicers …

Madoff, Stanford, Ponzi and the Media
Monday, 16 Feb, 2009 – 16:07 | No Comment
Madoff, Stanford, Ponzi and the Media

Few had heard the name Bernard (Bernie) Madoff, as recently as two months ago. An equally small group was familiar with the term “Ponzi Scheme” when the Madoff scandal broke. And now there …

President Obama’s Remarks Before the House Votes on Stimulus Bill
Wednesday, 28 Jan, 2009 – 10:45 | 2 Comments
President Obama’s Remarks Before the House Votes on Stimulus Bill

President Barack Obama spoke to a group of business executives and elected officials before the House voted on the highly anticipated Stimulus Bill which contains an $825 billion Stimulus Plan.
The President noted that seven of …

2009 as a Litmus Test for Change: Contact Sport or Spectator Sport
Friday, 9 Jan, 2009 – 6:00 | One Comment
2009 as a Litmus Test for Change: Contact Sport or Spectator Sport

The expectations of the New Year has us all expecting change on some level. Change in the nation’s political direction; change in the global situation; change in the economy; change in the job markets; change …

Thoughts on the End of a Hell of a Year
Saturday, 3 Jan, 2009 – 8:06 | One Comment
Thoughts on the End of a Hell of a Year

The biggest thing to happen to me this year was the birth of my first grandchild, a little girl named Ella. I know this kind of thing happens all the time and frankly I get …

Why I Love Rachel Maddow
Thursday, 25 Dec, 2008 – 15:00 | 10 Comments
Why I Love Rachel Maddow

by Charley James
A few nights ago, Rachel Maddow was discussing the Wall St. bailout on her MSNBC show with guest Dr. Laura Tyson.
Tyson, a former economics advisor to Pres. Clinton and now a professor …

The Economy: Do We Have Any Idea What We’re Doing?
Monday, 22 Dec, 2008 – 14:00 | 2 Comments
The Economy: Do We Have Any Idea What We’re Doing?

by John Peeler –
It is a commonplace these days to argue that the Bush administration helped to bring on the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression by clinging blindly to the dogma of the …

States’ Budget Crises: Share the Pain, Share the Dough
Saturday, 20 Dec, 2008 – 6:00 | No Comment
States’ Budget Crises: Share the Pain, Share the Dough

by Carl Bloice –
It’s probable that by the time this is read, officials in San Jose, California, will have eliminated athletic programs from all 11 of the city’s high schools. It might not seem like …

Too Big To Fail: Unless It’s the Entire EEKonomy!
Friday, 19 Dec, 2008 – 6:00 | No Comment
Too Big To Fail: Unless It’s the Entire EEKonomy!

by Gene Rothman –
A new Goldilocks gauge has gripped the Guardians of Greed. Too Big to Fail (TBTF) used to be one size fits all. Big corporations would be bailed out only if they were …

So Long GM, See Ya’ Chrysler — Hope America Enjoys The Second Great Depression
Friday, 12 Dec, 2008 – 14:00 | 2 Comments
So Long GM, See Ya’ Chrysler — Hope America Enjoys The Second Great Depression

by Charley James
In the 1950s, “Engine” Charley Wilson – then chairman of General Motors – said “What’s good for GM is good for America.”
We’re about to find out that the reverse is also true.

Shall We Call It a Depression Now?
Monday, 8 Dec, 2008 – 7:00 | One Comment
Shall We Call It a Depression Now?

by Robert Reich –
Friday’s employment report, showing that employers cut 533,000 jobs in November, 320,000 in October, and 403,000 in September — for a total of over 1.2 million over the last three months — …

Bail Out the Big Three and Revitalize the Economy
Thursday, 4 Dec, 2008 – 17:00 | No Comment
Bail Out the Big Three and Revitalize the Economy

by John Paul Rossi –
The other week, the appeal of the Big Three’’s executives for a $25 billion taxpayer bailout for their desperately ailing firms failed. Neither the fractious lame duck Congress, nor the Bush …

Mayor Villaraigosa, Please Help Our Neighbors
Monday, 24 Nov, 2008 – 18:00 | 2 Comments
Mayor Villaraigosa, Please Help Our Neighbors

In Los Angeles Zipcode 90042, there are 385 families that may be evicted before the holidays. Of these, 211 live in bank-owned properties, 59 have homes that up for auction, and 115 have homes in …

How Obama Is Already Taking Charge
Monday, 24 Nov, 2008 – 6:00 | No Comment
How Obama Is Already Taking Charge

by Robert Reich –
Obama’s immediate challenge is to fill the leadership vacuum created by a lame-duck president with historically-low approval ratings who seems to have lost interest in his job (at this writing, he’s out …

Related Posts with Thumbnails