Business & Economy

Hey Michelle, Read My Book

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Oct 6, 2010 On Tuesday, I received yet another deceptively personal e-mail addressed to “Robert” from Michelle Obama asking me once again to contribute to the “amazing journey” toward “progress” that her husband has led. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

The Big Guy’s on Our Side

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Sep 29, 2010 Paul Volcker, or the "big guy," as President Barack Obama refers to the former Federal Reserve chair who heads his Economic Recovery Advisory Board, nailed it in a series of blistering remarks on the sorry state of our economy.Paul Volcker, or the "big guy," as President Barack Obama calls him, nailed it in a series of blistering remarks on the sorry state of our economy. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

What the Pot Legalization Campaign Really Threatens

David Sirota / Truthdig Sep 24, 2010 By their actions, alcohol companies are admitting that more sensible drug policies could cut into their government-created monopoly on mind-altering substances. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Tough Love for Obama

Ruth Marcus / Truthdig Sep 22, 2010 The Wal-Mart moms were pessimistic, bordering on despondent, about the state of the country, but they were also surprisingly understanding about the president's plight. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Robert Scheer Talks Economic Crisis

BLANK Sep 18, 2010 In appearances on MSNBC and KCRW, Truthdig Editor Robert Scheer is coming out with rhetorical guns blazing to talk about the economic crisis, Wall Street pandering, and the culpability of both parties in all of it. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The ‘Clinton Bubble’: How Clinton Democrats Fostered the 2008 Economic Crisis

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Sep 17, 2010 Truthdig reposts an excerpt from Robert Scheer's 2010 book "The Great American Stickup: How Reagan Republicans and Clinton Democrats Enriched Wall Street While Mugging Main Street." This is the story of the groundwork laid for the collapse of the U.S. economy—a catastrophe from which working blacks in particular still have not recovered. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

A Myth About Job Creation

Ruth Marcus / Truthdig Sep 15, 2010 It is taken as gospel among politicians of both parties that small business is the engine of job creation. Obama, McCain, Bush, Kerry, Clinton and Reagan have made that claim. Only one problem: The assertions are overblown and simplistic. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

‘The Great American Stickup’: How Wall Street Occupied Washington

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Sep 15, 2010 The big cop-out in much of what has been written about the banking meltdown has been the argument by those most complicit that there was "enough blame to go around" and that no institution or individual should be singled out for accountability. "How could we have known?" is the refrain of those who continue to pose as all-knowing experts.The big cop-out of the banking meltdown is that no institution or individual should be singled out for accountability. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )

Attack of the Monster Phones

Peter Z. Scheer / Truthdig Sep 13, 2010 The smart-phone boom has produced a new breed of giant phone that makes Apple's offering seem tiny by comparison. Dig deeper ( 15 Min. Read )

The Neoliberal Bait and Switch

David Sirota / Truthdig Sep 10, 2010 Thirty years into the neoliberal experiment, the Great Recession is exposing the flaws of the Washington Consensus. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

It’s the Mortgages, Stupid

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Sep 8, 2010 This week’s proposals by the Obama administration to deal with the persistent economic crisis will be, as with previous plans that involved trillions of taxpayer dollars, little more than salt in the wounds.Once again the Obama administration's strategy is to stimulate the economy by funding projects and tax cuts while ignoring the root cause of the problem. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Tax-Cut Hand Grenade

Ruth Marcus / Truthdig Sep 8, 2010 The president's position that the tax cuts for those making less than $250,000 a year should be extended permanently is fiscally reckless. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )