Category Archives: economic collapse

Working at the Inky/DN will be a hard habit to break


Tighten your fingers around a teaspoon, feel its metal pulse, its mistrustful warning. How it hurts to refuse a spoon, to say no to a door, to deny everything that habit has licked to a suitable smoothness. — Julio Cortazar, … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, globalization, mainstream media, Philadelphia, unemployment, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Great Oz explains the state of the union


Practicing civility means never having to say you’re sorry. It mostly involves learning to speak in a civil manner, never using words that might cause anger or tears or indigestion. This takes time and effort and — the hard-to-learn part … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, Great Recession, health care, mainstream media, Obama, Politics, unemployment, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Coming soon to a town near you — Camden-ization


Somebody send out the cadaver dogs to search for my midwinter optimism. In the fall, at least, I was able to bike across the Ben Franklin  from Philly to take care of business. But after the first dusting of snow, … Continue reading →

Posted in Camden, Delaware River Port Authority, economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, livable cities, mainstream media, NJ, Philadelphia, Politics, taxes, Wall Street, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

David Brooks, a weasel in preacher’s clothing


Civility is a tree with deep roots, and without the roots, it can’t last. So what are those roots? They are failure, sin, weakness and ignorance. — David Brooks, Jan. 13, The New York Times Brooks should write speeches for … Continue reading →

Posted in David Brooks, economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, New York Times, New York Times op-ed, Obama, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Fast Eddie’s casino freakout on 60 Minutes


I’m Fast Eddie Rendell, and I’m smarter than the rest of you guys, always have been. It took me years to make you understand that casino gambling is the solution to shuttered factories and tens of thousands of lost jobs. … Continue reading →

Posted in casinos, economic collapse, livable cities, mainstream media, Philadelphia, Politics, sports, taxes, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New Year’s in the twilight zone


Republicans are telling Americans a Big Lie, and Obama and the Democrats are letting them. The Big Lie is our economic problems are due to a government that’s too large, and therefore the solution is to shrink it. The truth … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, mainstream media, Obama, Politics, unemployment, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A holiday fairy tale about lame ducks


It’s depressing to think that there was no way to win that would not have involved giving away billions of dollars to people who don’t need it. But it’s kind of cheery to think we have a president who actually … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, mid-term elections, New York Times, Obama, Politics, unemployment, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The beauty of Xmas be upon you, Dick


An old friend sent me a holiday e-card — an animated cartoon, actually, with an angel and the baby Jesus in a Christmas tree, and a bit of text at the end. Enjoy the beauty of Christmas, and so on. … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, mid-term elections, Politics, unemployment, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Obama’s bottom line: No, we can’t


If life were a Frank Capra movie, Barack Obama would have looked across the table at Mitch McConnell and said, “OK, Turtle Face, I’ll take this issue to the people and lay out the facts. You’re trying to blackmail Democrats. … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, Great Depression, mainstream media, Obama, Politics, taxes, unemployment, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ugly old white men still rule!


It is hard to believe, as the holidays approach yet again amid economic hard times, but Congress looks as if it may let federal unemployment benefits lapse for the fourth time this year. — Nov. 28 New York Times editorial … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, mainstream media, mid-term elections, New York Times, Obama, Politics, taxes, unemployment, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment