Category Archives: Wall Street

A new corporate tax holiday would shock even cynics


Remember the disastrous “tax holiday” Congress granted mega-corporations such as Apple and GE in 2004? The idea was to allow corporations to bring home huge profits they’d stashed overseas, in the hope they might use the money to create jobs. … Continue reading

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Obama dumps Warren, keeps streak alive


If political betrayals were base hits, Barack Obama would be approaching the record for hits in most consecutive games. This week he kept the streak going by not nominating Elizabeth Warren to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the federal … Continue reading

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Sound and fury, signifying status quo


Joseph Stiglitz, a few months ago in Vanity Fair: The more divided a society becomes in terms of wealth, the more reluctant the wealthy become to spend money on common needs. The rich don’t need to rely on government for … Continue reading

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‘Rentiers’ to the jobless: Your pain is our gain


Those trying to escape the saga of Anthony Weiner and the Weiner-ettes may not have seen Paul Krugman’s Friday column, which focuses on the relentlessly high unemployment rate and on the fact that the most powerful people in government — … Continue reading

Posted in economic collapse, globalization, Great Depression, Great Recession, mainstream media, New York Times, New York Times op-ed, Obama, Politics, unemployment, Wall Street, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Stick a fork in Weiner, he’s done


Denounced from the pulpit by the Gray Lady: For more than a week, Representative Anthony Weiner, a New York City Democrat, baldly lied in denying that he had sent a lewd photo of himself to a woman over Twitter, claiming … Continue reading

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A Tina Fey bus tour would put Palin’s in perspective


Where’s Tina Fey when we need her? The question sprang to mind when I read about Sarah Palin’s latest publicity stunt: …Unless Palin decides to formally explore a possible presidential run, she is free to spend the money raised by … Continue reading

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In praising Scott-Heron, Inquirer buries his message


Gil Scott-Heron, the African-American poet and musician who died this week at age 62, was most famous for his recording of “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” a funny and uncompromising call-to-arms that envisions the downfall of the corporate masterminds … Continue reading

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Subterranean homesick Bob


I tried, but the hundred Inevitables dogged me all day. By the time I got back to the bunker the medicine man was gone and Beethoven had unwrapped a bedroll with Ma Rainey. I’d missed my chance to give Bob … Continue reading

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The hole where Borders was, and the dummies who dug it


Writers hate the idea of slush piles, where agents and editors dump unpublished works. On the last weekend of business at Borders in Philadelphia, I saw the equivalent of a slush pile for published works. It wasn’t a pretty sight. … Continue reading

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A Python-esque rite in South Philly


Ah, the rites of spring in the `hood! You know — palm weaving, the Easter Parade on South Street, race riots in Grays Ferry. Here’s one that was new to me — the Good Friday re-enactment of the crucifixion of … Continue reading

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