An Economy for All
Economic Recovery for Main Street
THE NEXT FIGHT
» Robert Borosage: "Straight talk" for the presidential debate: The conventional wisdom about cutting domestic spending and balancing the budget won't work today. Focus instead on a large, bold plan to rebuild America, put people to work and get the economy going.
» Rob Johnson: Slide presentation on mistakes the progressive movement made and how we should take advantage of our second chance to get it right.
» Al Meyerhoff: The root causes of the financial crisis that the bailout bill did not address.
» More resources and analysis about the financial crisis and progressive solutions
» Our New York Times op-ad on "banksters run amok"
Fed’s $1.6 Trillon Bet
Amid the clamor over the crisis on Wall Street, the U.S. Treasury’s $700 billion Troubled Asset Rescue Program, or “TARP,” bill and the evolving collapse of the global banking system, little attention has been paid to the extraordinary credit extensions at the Federal Reserve. But these are now without parallel in Fed history, including during the Great Depression.... more »
The $700 Billion Questions
Using the shock doctrine, Wall Street and Washington’s wrecking crew aim to get the most expensive free lunch in American history.... more »
TRADE REPORT: Will Dems Expand NAFTA In a Lame Duck Congress?
By David Sirota
September 18th, 2008
In this week's edition of The Trade Report, Democrats consider passing NAFTA-style trade deals in a lame duck session of Congress, just after campaigning against that trade policy in the fall campaign. more »
The Case
Why An Economy for All?
Conservatives call the state of the economy the “greatest story never told,” but in reality it’s an economy reminiscent of the Gilded Age. The myth of a booming economy does not reflect the everyday experiences of working-class Americans. In fact, most Americans see the nation either in or near a recession. We need a broad reassessment of our economic policies.more »
Our Sinking Economy
On Monday morning, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell below 9,900. It was the latest sign that that the $700 billion bailout bill passed by Congress last week at the behest of the Bush administration will do little, if anything, to address the fundamentals of the economic crisis. more »
Facts & Resources
Important Segment of Economy Still Manufacturing
Nearly 10 percent of America’s workers are employed in the manufacturing sector; of those, nine percent are scientists and engineers.
Manufacturing is Major Contributor to Economy and Growth
The manufacturing sector is responsible for more than 12 percent of America’s gross domestic product and pays for approximately 60 percent of the research and development work that has made America a technological leader.
The News
Bush 'Recognizing Reality'
October 15th, 2008
Critics: CEO Salary Rules too Vague
October 15th, 2008
The Voices
Fed’s $1.6 Trillon Bet
Amid the clamor over the crisis on Wall Street, the U.S. Treasury’s $700 billion Troubled Asset Rescue Program, or “TARP,” bill and the evolving collapse of the global banking system, little attention has been paid to the extraordinary credit extensions at the Federal Reserve. But these are now without parallel in Fed history, including during the Great Depression.more »
Two Candidates, Two Prescriptions
With Senator John McCain unveiling a $52.5 billion package of proposals, both presidential candidates have now outlined their plans for addressing the economic crisis, leaving voters with a clear choice when it comes to one of the biggest challenges the next president will face.more »
Latest from our Bloggers
oct
15
2008
11:08 am
11:08 am
During my trip to Rochester and now New York City, I appeared on Rachel Maddow's MSNBC show last night to review John McCain's latest economic ideas. more »
oct
15
2008
10:36 am
10:36 am
Sen. John McCain is losing. He said so himself in his speech yesterday. Candidates don't usually admit such a thing, so that qualifies as straight talk.
But most voters don't want straight talk about political prospects. They want it about the issues that affect them directly, first and foremost, the economy. more »
oct
15
2008
9:08 am
9:08 am
How about a little "straight talk" in the last presidential debate? The conventional wisdom about cutting domestic spending and balancing the budget is wrong for today's economic crisis. Let's focus instead on what must happen: a large, bold plan to rebuild America, put people to work, and get the economy going. more »
oct
14
2008
11:12 am
11:12 am
The phenomenal financial crash of the past few weeks has hammered home what should be common sense: A free market needs reasonable rules that safeguard the public interest. So why would we accept the conservative argument that we should use that recipe for disaster to reform an already failing health-care system? more »
oct
10
2008
1:02 pm
1:02 pm
Last week, as the bailout bill was being debated, the blog Naked Capitalism got its hands on the tape of a secret Treasury Department conference call whereby government officials reassured Wall Street speculators that all the supposed Democratic "improvements" to Henry Paulson's original bill were speci more »
oct
10
2008
11:08 am
11:08 am
The last week has seen a tectonic shift in American politics and government. Those of us who opposed the $700 billion bailout have been proved correct, as the entire political, academic and financial Establishment has said what we were saying all along: the scheme to buy mortgage-backed assets is a giveaway to Wall Street, not a solution to a credit crisis. more »
oct
10
2008
10:13 am
10:13 am
The rabid right has turned up the volume on their insidious accusations that ACORN is engaging in voter fraud. But the executive director of ACORN is fighting back with a detailed response that would silence the critics if they had a shred of integrity. more »
oct
9
2008
11:19 am
11:19 am
Is Henry Paulson a crony communist or a businessman? The answer could be the difference between economic disaster and recovery.
more »
