Coming Tuesday (Hopefully): The State of the Union’s Economy

Robert Reich / Truthdig Feb 11, 2013 The President should make it clear that any Republican effort to hold the nation hostage to the GOP’s ideological fixation on the budget deficit and a smaller government will slow the economy, likely pushing us into another recession. And that those most imperiled are the middle class and the poor. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Economic Challenge Ahead: More Jobs and Growth, Not Deficit Reduction

Robert Reich / Truthdig Feb 8, 2013 Can we just keep things in perspective? On Tuesday, the president asked Republicans to join him in finding more spending cuts and revenues before the next fiscal cliff whacks the economy at the end of the month. Yet that same day, the Congressional Budget Office projected that the federal budget deficit will drop to 5.3 percent of the nation’s total output by the end of this year. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Myth of Living Beyond Our Means

Robert Reich / Truthdig Jan 29, 2013 Brace yourself. In coming weeks you’ll hear there’s no serious alternative to cutting Social Security and Medicare, raising taxes on middle class, and decimating what’s left of the federal government’s discretionary spending on everything from education and job training to highways and basic research. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Urgency of Growth

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Jan 28, 2013 If you care about deficits, you should want our economy to grow faster. If you care about lifting up the poor and reducing unemployment, you should want our economy to grow faster. And if you are a committed capitalist and hope to make more money, you should want our economy to grow faster. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Trillion Dollar Coin: Joke or Game-Changer?

By Ellen Brown, Web of Debt Jan 19, 2013 The trillion dollar coin represents one of the most important principles of popular prosperity ever conceived: the creation of money by sovereign governments, debt-free. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Economist Galbraith on Why Public Welfare Programs Are Sustainable

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jan 18, 2013 Is there ever a good time to cut “entitlements” -- the code word used by austerity hawks to refer to and demean publicly funded social welfare programs -- host Andrew Ross Sorkin asked University of Texas economist James K. Galbraith on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Before Default, Let Republicans Bump Up Hard Against the Debt Ceiling

Joe Conason / Truthdig Jan 18, 2013 A prolonged confrontation over the nation's debt ceiling -- unlike the "fiscal cliff," which provoked many scary headlines -- could truly be grave for both America and the world. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Jon Stewart Fires Latest Shot in Feud With Paul Krugman

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Jan 15, 2013 “If someone’s ruining their brand with the trillion dollar coin idea, I don’t think it’s the non-economist,” Stewart said, adding that the deficit solution was still a “stupid fucking idea.” Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Temperature Check From Sen. Sanders

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jan 10, 2013 “Despite such terminology as ‘fiscal cliff’ and ‘debt ceiling,’ ” writes Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., “the great debate taking place in Washington now has relatively little to do with financial issues. It is all about ideology.” Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Real Deficit Argument

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Jan 7, 2013 Should our politicians dedicate themselves to solving the problems we face now? Or should they spend their time constructing largely theoretical deficit solutions for years far in the future to satisfy certain ideological and aesthetic urges? Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

A ‘Manufactured Non-Solution’ to a ‘Manufactured’ Crisis (Video)

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jan 3, 2013 Phony-baloney tax cuts, a delay in spending reductions, an increase in the deficit and lots more work to be done -- Heidi Moore at The Guardian details the fiscal cliff solution that isn't. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Republicans Angry About Tax Hike, Krugman on the Fiscal Deal, and More

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Jan 2, 2013 A look at the day's political happenings, including the House vote on the fiscal cliff deal Tuesday night and President Obama marks the 150th anniversary of one of the most famous presidential proclamations. (UPDATED) Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )