Newest Economy
Video Asia and US crisis... ZNet Article Two recent books on the future, both seeking to interpret selected aspects of a rapidly moving, technologically complex world, are each deeply flawed but well worth examining for what's missing. ZNet Article The country faces a serious crisis in the form of a manufactured crisis over the budget deficit. This is a crisis because concerns over the size of the budget deficit are preventing the government from taking the steps needed to reduce the unemployment rate. This creates the absurd situation where we have millions of people who are unemployed, not because of their own lack of skills or unwillingness to work, but because people like Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke mismanaged the economy. -
- Monday, Feb 08, 2010
Commentary If freedom is defined by a state’s non-participation in economic processes, as the Heritage Foundation suggests, then Haiti today would win first prize, as after the earthquake, it has no government at all. -
- Friday, Feb 05, 2010
ZNet Article Jan. 21, 2010, will go down as a dark day in the history of U.S. democracy, and its decline. -
- Wednesday, Feb 03, 2010
ZNet Article Ever since Keynes wrote The General Theory in the 30s, economists have understood the mechanism for escaping the sort of slump the economy faced in the Great Depression. The key point was to generate demand. The government had to do something - anything - that would increase demand for goods and services. -
- Saturday, Jan 30, 2010
ZNet Article One of the most important promises made by President Obama in his State of the Union address has been largely overlooked his promise to “crack down on violations of equal pay laws, so that women get equal pay for an equal day¹s work.” -
- Tuesday, Jan 26, 2010
ZNet Article The Senate's decision on approving Ben Bernanke for a second term as chair of the Federal Reserve Board is coming down to the wire and the Wall Street crew is once again pulling out all the stops. To get the 60 votes they need for Senate approval they are reaching into the treasure chest of tall tales they used to push through the TARP. They are once again telling the American people that the world will end if we don't do exactly what they want. -
- Wednesday, Jan 20, 2010
ZNet Article President Obama proposed a tax on the country's largest banks to help recover the money lost under the TARP program. This tax is a positive step. However, it will not come close to recovering the losses incurred in the bailouts and it will do almost nothing to change the way that the banks do business. For this we will need a larger financial speculation tax. -
- Sunday, Jan 17, 2010
ZNet Article A landmark class action case is under way in a New York federal court, with victims of apartheid in South Africa suing corporations that they say helped the pre-1994 regime. Among the multinational corporations are IBM, Fujitsu, Ford, GM and banking giants UBS and Barclays. The lawsuit accuses the corporations of “knowing participation in and/or aiding and abetting of the crimes of apartheid; extrajudicial killing; torture; prolonged unlawful detention; and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.†Attorneys are seeking up to $400 billion in damages. -
- Friday, Jan 15, 2010
ZNet Article The signs of recession are more noticeable to those who live here - restaurants and coffee shops have lost most of their customers, and construction has practically ground to a halt. Emigration has soared. -
- Friday, Jan 08, 2010
ZNet Article Manmohan Singh expressed deep apprehension at the vile attempts of some “extremists†to cause unacceptable imbalances and dethronements in the orderly project of the peaceful enhancement of mainline developmental concerns, piloted no doubt by men in power who know best. -
- Tuesday, Jan 05, 2010
Commentary It's a new week, a new year, and some, erroneously believe a new decade. What's not new is the stranglehold the banks have on our economy quietly stashing more billions for more bonuses while still restricting the flow of credit. Bad loans have been supplanted by no loans. -
- Monday, Jan 04, 2010
ZNet Article There are right-wing voices claiming that the government is an obstacle to economic recovery in the United States, irresponsibly piling up debt, burdening future generations, and ruining the investment climate. For them, we only need to rely on the private sector to get us out of our worst slump since the Great Depression. -
- Friday, Jan 01, 2010
ZMag Article November 11 direct actions in support of fired workers Book This brilliant new book from the author of Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch explores the tyranny of positive thinking, and offers a history of how it came to be the dominant mode in the USA. -
- Tuesday, Dec 29, 2009
Commentary When the Arab emirate Dubai was on the verge of bankruptcy, the international financial speculators became worried. The rating agencies simultaneously came to correct their assessments. The bankers started to check if their debtors were solvent. Another financial crisis is in the air. -
- Sunday, Dec 27, 2009
ZNet Article The underpaid, overworked and otherwise poorly treated airport screeners who are essential to air passenger safety may finally be winning their long struggle for the badly needed union rights guaranteed other federal employees. -
- Friday, Dec 25, 2009
ZNet Article Millions of people around the country have been treated to the anti-debt ads run by one-time tobacco industry lobbyist Richard Berman. Mr. Berman, who has also worked to thwart minimum wage increases and managed to get on the opposite side of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, is now working alongside the Wall Street types who wrecked the economy. -
- Wednesday, Dec 23, 2009
ZNet Article Democracy Now! interview with Evo Morales -- "We cannot end global warming without ending capitalism" -
- Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009
ZNet Article While attention to class has ebbed and flowed among social movements for generations, class rule was always present and the recent economic crisis has forced it back into the spotlight. But what is class rule and why is it important? -
- Monday, Dec 21, 2009
ZNet Article Despite the importance of unions in our lives, our schools pay only slight attention to their importance  or even to their existence. -
- Saturday, Dec 19, 2009
ZNet Article Ageism can strike anyone once they reach a certain age -- sometimes as early as 40 -- and it can make the victim feel unwanted, unneeded and oppressed by all in this work and youth oriented society. -
- Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009
ZNet Article There is a growing movement in both the United States and around the world for taxing financial speculation. The logic is simple: even a very small tax on trades in stock, options, credit default swaps, and other derivative instruments can raise an enormous amount of revenue. -
- Monday, Dec 14, 2009
ZNet Article The terrain of "progressive labor" in the U.S. has shifted dramatically in recent years. The two-million member Service Employees International Union (SEIU)--long associated with the remaking of labor as a force for social justice--has become embroiled in a series of controversies that have alienated past campus, community, and political allies. A union that once commanded almost automatic support in left-liberal circles now finds many "friends of labor" arrayed against it, rhetorically at least, and, in some cases, actively assisting organizational rivals such as UNITE HERE and the new National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW). The following article reviews the history of the labor-intellectual alliance that emerged in the mid-1990s, in response to changes in the national AFL-CIO leadership. It assesses the current state of relations between labor-oriented academics and leading unions that formed the Change To Win coalition in 2005. ZNet Article In her new book Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America, Barbara Ehrenreich traces the origins of contemporary optimism from nineteenth-century healers to twentieth-century pushers of consumerism. She explores how that culture of optimism prevents us from holding to account both corporate heads and elected officials. -
- Saturday, Dec 12, 2009
ZNet Article No one can be perfectly healthy till all are healthy. -
- Thursday, Dec 10, 2009
ZNet Article Unless we re-think the export-oriented capitalism that's causing all of our climate problems, the Copenhagen conference will be nothing more than a Band-Aid. -
- Tuesday, Dec 08, 2009
ZNet Article The United States has more than 15 million people unemployed. This is not their fault. It is the fault of really bad policy decisions by people who get paid more than almost all of the unemployed ever did or ever will. The failure of economic policy makers to recognize and attack an $8 trillion housing bubble led to the downturn. The continuing failure of economic policymakers to think creatively is why 15 million people remain unemployed. -
- Saturday, Dec 05, 2009
ZMag Article Orin Kramer defines Obama's duty to America - All Newest Economy
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Featured ZNet Economy
ZNet Article Two recent books on the future, both seeking to interpret selected aspects of a rapidly moving, technologically complex world, are each deeply flawed but well worth examining for what's missing. -
- Monday, Feb 08, 2010
Commentary If freedom is defined by a state’s non-participation in economic processes, as the Heritage Foundation suggests, then Haiti today would win first prize, as after the earthquake, it has no government at all. -
- Friday, Feb 05, 2010
ZNet Article Jan. 21, 2010, will go down as a dark day in the history of U.S. democracy, and its decline. -
- Friday, Jan 08, 2010
ZNet Article Manmohan Singh expressed deep apprehension at the vile attempts of some “extremists†to cause unacceptable imbalances and dethronements in the orderly project of the peaceful enhancement of mainline developmental concerns, piloted no doubt by men in power who know best. -
- Tuesday, Jan 05, 2010
Commentary It's a new week, a new year, and some, erroneously believe a new decade. What's not new is the stranglehold the banks have on our economy quietly stashing more billions for more bonuses while still restricting the flow of credit. Bad loans have been supplanted by no loans. -
- Tuesday, Dec 29, 2009
Commentary When the Arab emirate Dubai was on the verge of bankruptcy, the international financial speculators became worried. The rating agencies simultaneously came to correct their assessments. The bankers started to check if their debtors were solvent. Another financial crisis is in the air. -
- Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009
ZNet Article While attention to class has ebbed and flowed among social movements for generations, class rule was always present and the recent economic crisis has forced it back into the spotlight. But what is class rule and why is it important? -
- Thursday, Dec 17, 2009
Blog Post The hidden history of post-WWII sitdown strikes in US. -
- Monday, Dec 14, 2009
ZNet Article In her new book Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America, Barbara Ehrenreich traces the origins of contemporary optimism from nineteenth-century healers to twentieth-century pushers of consumerism. She explores how that culture of optimism prevents us from holding to account both corporate heads and elected officials. -
- Saturday, Dec 12, 2009
ZNet Article No one can be perfectly healthy till all are healthy. - All Featured ZNet Economy
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- Monday, Feb 01, 2010
ZMag Article A report from December's historic UN climate talks (COP15) ZMag Article Alternative vision articles on the economy, ecology, education, and mental health ZMag Article Militant education activism over budget cuts & tuition hikes ZMag Article Remembering a labor organizer/strategist, author & ecologist ZMag Article Is a new movement fertile ground for white supremacists? -
- Friday, Jan 01, 2010
ZMag Article November 11 direct actions in support of fired workers ZMag Article Predictions about the ongoing financial meltdown -
- Saturday, Dec 05, 2009
ZMag Article Orin Kramer defines Obama's duty to America -
- Friday, Dec 04, 2009
ZMag Article An interview with Hong Kong labor leader Cheung Lai-Ha -
- Sunday, Nov 01, 2009
ZMag Article Enriched insurers main outcome of Obama health plan - All ZMag Economy
Economy CommentsForum Post Hi Michael B., I just noticed this while looking in our new forum system. I would be happy for you to review. Please send to me when done...   Forum Post Speaking of celebrities, I think it is telling that so many celebrities who are not leftist radicals but fairly standard Hollywood liberals appear in "A People Speak." Zinn wrote with such a mild manner that I think he made non-radical liberals more comfortable but at the same time I think there are a alot of people who express admiration for Zinn who really don't understand his radicalism. There are a couple of non-radical liberal acquaintances on my facebook friends list who paid tribute to Zinn when he died and one young lady even allowed that she was very sad but I wonder if either of them have actually read any of his works. I remember an English professor at my undergraduate institution who expressed warm admiration for Zinn but she is a fairly standard liberal. Perhaps "A People's History" is going to become or has already become a book that you read, or pretend to read, if you want to seem sophisticated and part of the counter-culture. Perhaps some people have not read Zinn but have heard that he tells history from the point of view of ordinary Americans and think that it is a very nice thing even if they haven't read much about Zinn's interpretation of specific historical events and phenomenon.It's not a knock on Zinn but I can't imagine Ben Affleck and Matt Damon getting celebrities together to do a movie about one of Chomsky's books. Zinn probably had more mainstream acceptance than Chomsky because he often wrote in the manner of a kindly Catholic priest and didn't have the level of intellectual fierceness as Chomsky. And Zinn wrote little on Israel-Palestine, which is understandable and not a knock on him.. But if he did write on Israel-Palestine I'm sure he would not have been given a column in The Progressive.The quote from Zinn at the end of this article demonstrates why Zinn had a certain level of acceptance that Chomsky didn't have. He writes with such a mild manner. He says " I wish President Obama would listen carefully to Martin Luther King.....What would Martin Luther King do? And what would Martin Luther King say?’ And if he only listened to King, he would be a very different president than he’s turning out to be so far." Of course, I think Zinn knew that politics dosen't actually work that way. Substantial progressive change won't come about merely ("if only") when Obama starts paying attention to MLK's radical ideas. But Zinn chose the tactic in that interview of criticizing Obama in rather grandfatherly fashion and some folks might find that manner of speaking more palatable than Chomsky's more blunt appraisal. Forum Post Perhaps Goodman thinks that people who have never heard of Zinn who read this article might become interested in Zinn if they see he has credentials like being mentioned in Good Will Hunting or that a "star studded" cast appeared in a movie based on his work.Goodman did a better job covering Zinn's life in the segment of the show where Chomsky and Anrove and, I think Naomi Klein, appeared to discuss Zinn's life. Zinn had such a rich life it is difficult to fully impart that richness in a short article but I think more important than the celebrity connections were things like his work against the Vietanam war (e.g. getting beat up by the cops), his battles with John Silber, (the right wing lunatic former president of Boston University), how a People's HIstory has been taught in classrooms in this country (how many I would be interested to know), how the presence of the book has influenced efforts to teach kids history, how the book has caused controversy among elite intellectuals, the resistance to using the book as a textbook in schools, the resistance of some parents when Zinn was invited to speak to high school classes, and so on. Forum Post I am a daily user of the ZCom site, and I hadn't noticed the poll until yesterday. Since I like to participate in active debates, I usually navigate directly to the ZSpace page. But the poll isn't visible there. I went to the ZNet page proper last week, where I saw the "Endorse our proposal" box. I read it and being quite excited about it, I immediately clicked on the "Endorse" link... which means that I completely overlooked the last paragraph where the poll is mentioned.So for me, the poll was completely overshadowed by the "Fifth Internationale" proposal!I finally noticed a link to the poll yesterday; I can't even remember where. Anyway, I've started taking the poll. Forum Post Chris - such great comments. I concur on everything you say. I also did not really like that line on Obama and King, which didn't quite match up all that well with the wise counsel in A People's History or with HZ's wonderful recent political writings like this one. "Zinn had such a rich life it is difficult to fully impart that richness in a short article." I agree and so I really question the purpose of them putting up a 726-word quick-hit "star-studded" essay like the one above. (Do it right or don't do it at all ...and think twice about letting our underlings disregard the fact that your title has [again] already been used by a non-celebrity). Funny thing on left-liberal celebrity culture: that earlier and much better DN! reflection on Zinn's remarkable life (with NC, AW, AA, and NK) was broadast with AG speaking/interviewing from the posh Sundance Film Fesitival.I interact with more rank-and-file left sorts (left Marxists and left anarchs, working lass folks) who certainly value much of DN!'s content but can't relate to flying out to Sundance one day and Copenhagen the other day and so on (I wonder if AG will do a piece on her carbon footprint, which must be quite impressive) and who yes tire of the parade of "names" and folks with holy P(iled) h (igh and). D(eep) degrees (I gave mine to Goodwill). We are levelers on the whole and not very impressed by all the jet-setting, the fancy educational certificates, and such...I will add that I heard AG speak before hundreds at the ISO's socialism conference in Chicago last July and she opened with flattering comments about Obama's supposedly virtuous noble community-organizer past and about his supposed openness to being pushed left. These comments elicited well-deserved eye-rolling and one audible groan at the table where I sat. (I understand the tactical nature of AG's early response to Obama but I think it was already long past time to have abandoned such sillness by then.)Fortunately AG was followed by Jermy Scahill, who came out and said that Obama "is an Orwellian character. He makes people think war is peace." And of course AG has since had plenty of folks on to explain how terrible Obama has been...not however the leading left author on the Obama phenomenon, himself a non- [and in fact anti-] celebrity... Forum Post the folks who made the documentary Golden Rule have contacted DN numerous times to get on the show and not even response. unless matt damon or someone of notoriety is involved they dont care. maybe if AG knew chomsky plugs the shit out of Tom Fergusson, who is a professor too!, and who features widely in the documentary and whose book by the same name is the focal point of the film, then maybe she would have them on and talk about the investment theory of politics.maybe if alec baldwin reads the book aloud she will have them on. -
- Monday, Feb 08, 2010
- All Economy Comments
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Econ Intro / ClassicsZWriter's on Econ.Economy Blogs-
- Friday, Jan 08, 2010
Blog Post Capitalism's utter failure even to provide employment cannot be explicitly mentioned in the corporate media but here (pasted in below) are some ugly facts -- including a real U.S. unemployment rate of 17 percent: See the Associated Press report pasted in -
- Thursday, Dec 17, 2009
Blog Post Berlin court order is a threat to autonomous or alternative grassroots unionism in Germany. Court, German national union ver.di, collaborate with management of New Babylon Cinema to break worker struggle for union self-organization. -
- Tuesday, Sep 29, 2009
Blog Post My burrito didn't cost $2.70 -
- Monday, Sep 14, 2009
Blog Post Officially, the recession is probably over. The lack of meaningful structural reforms means conditions for continued collapse continue. So will massive economic hardships. However,I'm hopeful about growing social movements. -
- Sunday, Sep 13, 2009
Blog Post The Abstract for My Rethinking Marxism 2009 Panel Presentation -
- Thursday, Sep 10, 2009
Blog Post A draft discussion of anarchist vision and strategy...possibilities... -
- Tuesday, Sep 08, 2009
Blog Post The United States' "Labor Day" (yesterday) must have seemed ironic to the nation's expanding army of unemployed, ther vital human labor power deemed un-profitable and therefore unworthy of even minimal ransom-payment by the masters of capital. - All Economy Blogs
Economy Video
Video Asia and US crisis... -
- Thursday, Oct 08, 2009
Video SleptOn.com sits down with Professor Noam Chomsky. In this segment we discuss what he feels to be one of the most overlooked issues in the world today. -
- Wednesday, Sep 16, 2009
Video Senior Research Scholar at Yale University Immanuel Wallerstein believes that the real economic crisis is still up ahead. According to Wallerstein, last years collapse was its minor version. -
- Monday, Mar 30, 2009
Video Noam Chomsky speaks to Paul Jay on the Obama - Geithner plan. Chomsky says that "they're simply recycling, the Bush-Paulson measures and changing them a little, but essentially the same idea: keep the institutional structure the same, try to kind of pass things up, bribe the banks and investors to help out, but avoid the measures that might get to the heart of the problem." -
- Saturday, Mar 07, 2009
Video Talk of the dangers of trade protectionism is used by European politicians to obscure the need for protection from transnational corporations whose control of European trade policy continues to cause negative social and environment impacts. -
- Saturday, Jan 24, 2009
Video Bill Fletcher - Author of "Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and A New Path Toward Social Justice" speaks at United Healthcare Workers 2008 Leadership Conference. (Part 1 of 2) -
- Saturday, Jan 17, 2009
Video George Monbiot challenges Jeroen van de Veer, chief executive of oil and gas giant Shell, on ethics, greenwash advertising, renewable energy investments and gas-flaring in Nigeria.
- All Economy Video
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