Business & Economy

A World Without the Globe?

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig May 5, 2009 We have gone through other periods when great newspapers succumbed to new economic realities. Most American cities once had three, four or more competing dailies; now, most are down to just one. But those earlier rounds of attrition were exercises in survival of the fittest. The difference now is that newspapers are in trouble no matter how fit they are. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The End of the Middle Class as We Know It

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Apr 30, 2009 This is how it ends. Or at least, this is how the latest, sad chapter in a story that has been ending for three decades is written. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Clinton Bubble

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Apr 29, 2009 Has Timothy Geithner ever had lunch with a non-megamillionaire who has lost his job or home because of the banking meltdown? I ask that question after reading the list of the treasury secretary’s luncheon dates when he was head of the New York Federal Reserve, a list that the government was forced to provide in response to a lawsuit. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Dog Puppy Fetish Pakistan

Staff / Truthdig Apr 28, 2009 The New York Times gets an inside look at a Pakistani fetish factory located next door to a fundamentalist Islamic mosque. Globalization doesn't get more entertaining than this. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Obama Has Missed His Moment

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Apr 27, 2009 The president had a fleeting moment to challenge the casino capitalism and financial recklessness of our economic and political elite. He could have orchestrated a state socialism that would have provided a safety net for tens of millions of Americans faced with dislocation and misery. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Thievery Under the TARP

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Apr 22, 2009 We are being robbed big-time, but you can’t say we haven’t been warned. Not after the release Tuesday of a scathing report by the Treasury Department’s special inspector general, who charged that the aptly named Troubled Asset Relief Program is rife with mismanagement and potential for fraud. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Tea and Ignorance

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Apr 16, 2009 There is little anyone can do about the tax-protest rants except worry they will be believed by a wider public. So, on the theory that the truth will set us free, it is worth examining exactly what we're all paying, and what for. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

A Strange Dual Citizenship

Ellen Goodman / Truthdig Apr 16, 2009 Melba Abreu and Beatrice Hernandez file state taxes as what they are -- a legally married Massachusetts couple. But under federal law, they have to file federal taxes as what they aren't -- two single women. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Endgame for Gramm?

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Apr 15, 2009 One wonders if Phil Gramm has been made just a tad nervous by the news on Tuesday that one of UBS' super-wealthy private clients has pleaded guilty to tax evasion. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Wrong Road to Recovery

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Apr 14, 2009 Once again we may be fooling ourselves into thinking that the buying and selling of paper assets is the same as the buying and selling of tangible goods made by real workers. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

‘Left, Right & Center’: A Glimmer of Hope for the Economy?

Staff / Truthdig Apr 11, 2009 The economy's not the only thing that "Left, Right & Center" co-conspirators Matt Miller, Tony Blankley and Robert Scheer are thinking about this week, but it's a biggie again, as are the Obama administration's announcement about defense spending and the changes under way in American foreign policy. Also: Somali pirates! Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Best Investment Money Can Buy

David Sirota / Truthdig Apr 10, 2009 In the last decade, the financial industry's $5 billion investment in campaign contributions and lobbyists resulted in deregulation and boatloads of free money. By Bloomberg News' account, $12.8 trillion worth of taxpayer loans, grants and guarantees -- all to Wall Street. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )