A Republican San Francisco Ahead?

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Feb 22, 2014 "If the national Republican Party stops being a home for theocrats, war-mongerers, and xenophobic white men and drifts closer to a small-government, libertarian worldview that eventually makes peace with immigration, LGBT rights and abortion, it might gain traction in affluent, secular, and largely non-white San Francisco," a contributor at The Bold Italic writes. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Bitcoin and the Dangerous Fantasy of ‘Apolitical’ Money

By Yanis Varoufakis Dec 26, 2013 The crash of 2008 infused our societies with enormous skepticism of government and central bank authority. Naturally, many dream of a currency that politicians and bankers cannot manipulate. Bitcoin has emerged as the great white hope of something of the sort. Alas, that hope is false. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

The Impracticality of Bitcoin

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Dec 24, 2013 The presently unregulated digital currency has libertarians and currency speculators in a tizzy over the possibility of making a lot of money in a short time. Greek political economist Yanis Varoufakis tells RT whether there is any reason to believe Bitcoin, currently valued at $900, is practical for use by ordinary people and sustainable as a means of exchange overall. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Look at These Ridiculous Boots’

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Oct 7, 2013 Russell Brand's absurd description of humanity's best prospects for salvation is an apt example of the corporate media-shaped chaos of understanding moving around inside many people's heads. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Libertarianism’s Achilles’ Heel

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Jun 10, 2013 In politics, we often skip past the simple questions. This is why inquiries about the fundamentals can sometimes catch everyone short. Michael Lind, the independent-minded scholar, posed one such question last week about libertarianism that I hope will shake up the political world. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

It Wasn’t David Stockman Who Wrecked the Economy

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Apr 2, 2013 For all of the strident attacks on Stockman’s column, I have yet to read a serious critique of his most brazen claim. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Federal Money Helps Ryan’s Hometown Bounce Back

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Aug 15, 2012 Thousands are still struggling in Paul Ryan’s hometown of Janesville, Wis., after General Motors shut down its century-old plant there in 2008. What economic recovery has occurred there is due largely to the federal stimulus programs so loathed by Republicans. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Paul Ryan, Corporate Darling

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Aug 15, 2012 The bright-faced boy from Janesville and avowed man of the people has taken money from banksters, big insurance and the Koch brothers throughout his career, and has $5.4 million in the campaign chest -- $2 million more than the next highest House member. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

‘Veepstakes,’ Be Gone!

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Aug 11, 2012 “Few media behaviors are more pitiful than the intense fixation over the ‘Veepstakes,’ a word that is at once nauseatingly vapid and yet incomparably valuable as a symbol of our nation’s pointless, juvenile political media,” Glenn Greenwald writes in Salon. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

A Hard Look at Paul Ryan

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Aug 9, 2012 The New Yorker has published an insightful, if unsurprising, profile of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, detailing how the young lawmaker became a champion of today’s form of arch-libertarianism and how he’s worked to push that ideology into the mainstream of the Republican Party. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

An Investment Manager Dishes on the Richest

Staff / Truthdig Jul 20, 2011 Rarely do we get to hear criticism of the American oligarchy from within the ranks of its crowning institution: the financial services industry This anonymous author, who handles investments for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans, takes us on a brief tour of numbers (more). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Waving the ‘Anarcho-Capitalism’ Flag

Staff / Truthdig Jul 18, 2011 It's a theory that seeks the removal of government oversight from any and all economic and social activity, which has been steadily adopted by legislators and policymakers on the right, and some on the left, for the past three decades, and tea partiers may actually be opposed to it. (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )