Category Archives: The New Depression

Two-party system = no change


I still can’t tell if most “middle-class” Americans understand what hit them, and why, when the economy tanked in 2008. Robert Scheer takes a crack at explaining the catastrophe with what seems the perfect metaphor. But then again, I used … Continue reading

Posted in casinos, Congress, economic collapse, Goldman Sachs, Great Recession, mainstream media, Occupy Wall Street, The New Depression | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Mitt to America: Let’s go serfin’ now


You may have noticed that the American political system as it currently exists is helping reduce many of us to the status of serfs in a feudal system. Or, if you’d rather, into what sociologists Kevin Leicht and Scott Fitzgerald … Continue reading

Posted in campaign finance reform, Congress, economic collapse, humor, mainstream media, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Big media help push big tax lie


Why do Republican politicians boldly tell lies that could easily be refuted by the mainstream media? Easy answer — the media’s “he said, she said” approach to reporting encourages the pols to keep lying. One of the GOP’s most frequently … Continue reading

Posted in globalization, Great Recession, mainstream media, taxes, The New Depression | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Dear NYT: Why no news stories about ALEC?


[From a recent conversation with my Russian friend Sergei. We like to argue about which country is less democratic — America, or Putin’s Russia.] No, Sergei, I’m not turning into a conspiracy theorist, and I’m not having one of my … Continue reading

Posted in climate change, mainstream media, New York Times, Occupy Wall Street, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Paul Ryan is Robin Hood for the rich


Ayn Rand wasn’t a good enough fiction writer to create protagonists who were anything more than mouthpieces for her cartoonish, elitist “philosophy.” However, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan is the word made flesh — a real-life monster of selfishness and, fittingly, … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, Great Recession, The New Depression | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Yahoos to feds: We hate you, but send money


Last month I made fun of the new breed of Republican governors by posting something headlined “Federal Government for Dummies.” But the governors aren’t really dumb. They’re sly yahoos who know they can demonize “big government” as they make massive … Continue reading

Posted in climate change, Great Recession, Gulf, The New Depression, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Bank on BofA ripping you off


Matt Taibbi starts his new Rolling Stone article with a Shock and Awe-style barrage of over-the-top analogies: At least Bank of America got its name right. The ultimate Too Big to Fail bank really is America, a hypergluttonous ward of … Continue reading

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, Occupy Wall Street, The New Depression | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Serfs don’t need no schoolin’


Many politicians and business leaders these days think the public education system is overvalued. After all, you don’t need to read The Great Gatsby to operate a power mower. You don’t have to know the atomic weight of carbon to … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, Mitt Romney, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Tax-dodging corporate liars


What a surprise. It seems those those CEOs from Business Roundtable who met behind closed doors with Barack Obama Tuesday and with “Blue Dog” Democrats on Capitol Hill yesterday were much more interested in pushing for lower corporate tax rates … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, Great Recession, mainstream media, taxes, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

‘Job creation’ behind closed doors


How comforting that Barack Obama was scheduled to have another closed-door meeting last night with CEOs from America’s largest companies. Did he talk to them about job creation? Did he go so far as to urge them to “start hiring,” … Continue reading

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, humor, mainstream media, Obama, The New Depression | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments