To hear conservative Republicans tell it, business is the vital, job-creating, wealth-building, and therefore virtuous, backbone of American prosperity and democracy, while government is a meddlesome, bungling and costly drag on freedom and prosperity. Or, as the icon of conservative Republicans put it: Oh really? We’ve done a little scorekeeping just over the past week [...]
Posts under ‘Business’
Dodd’s reservations shouldn’t keep
Warren from financial watchdog post
An excellent Huffington Post item sheds added light on Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd’s curious reticence about Elizabeth Warren heading the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The short of it is that while Dodd is very concerned the Harvard professor and standout consumer advocate might not be up to managing the new agency, he’s [...]
We create plenty of jobs — just not in America
You might think a recession deeper and more damaging to millions of nonwealthy Americans than any downturn in 80 years would reverse our runaway reliance on imported goods, at least for the duration. That would be a logical thing to think but unfortunately it’s not happening, as these numbers via AmericanEconomicAlert.org make clear (emphasis ours). [...]
Earmarks bring some Democrats money
but could cost them plenty in November
Earmarks and the senators and representatives who arrange them aren’t all bad, but the potential for abuse is always there, and too often realized. Earmarks can bring to states and congressional districts worthwhile projects and economic benefits that otherwise would never make it through budgetary and legislative processes. The practice gets dirty when taxpayers’ hard-earned [...]
Job numbers point up economy’s longterm ills
Despite dismal job-creation numbers for June, it’s probably premature to say the U.S. economy is slipping into the second decline of a double dip recession. What’s abundantly clear, though, is that America’s hollowed-out, seriously eroded economy is hard put to create sufficient jobs even when there is no recession. Experts say the economy must create [...]
What you see in Barton is what you get
Voters paying attention yesterday got a perfect object lesson in what our damaged democracy increasingly spawns, nurtures and turns power over to, in the form of Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, apologizing to BP America, creator of America’s all-time worst environmental disaster. Many in Congress from both parties, the president and media were surprised, even shocked, [...]
Afghans in for wealth and all that goes with it
If Afghans think they’ve been through one rough patch after another, what with having been invaded and occupied by Russians, ruled by the Taliban, then invaded and occupied by Americans, they haven’t seen anything yet. That’s because news is breaking about colossal finds of mineral wealth in Afghanistan — enough to transform the country from [...]
Reich urges receivership for BP
Robert Reich doesn’t have a surefire solution for stopping BP America’s catastrophic oil leak, but he offers the right prescription for how the Obama administration should manage the effort. It’s time for the federal government to put BP under temporary receivership, which gives the government authority to take over BP’s operations in the Gulf of [...]
Capturing, containing oil a better approach
After trying to shut off BP America’s massive undersea oil leak — and failing — with several long-shot approaches, the company will finally try instead to capture most of the escaping oil. This makes more sense than anything tried so far, offering the best hope for limiting damage from the 12000 to 19,000 barrels of [...]
