AltWeeklies Wire
At SXSW 2013, the Mayors of Brokesville
SXSW is a metaphor for what's going on in the American economy: everyone wants to sell, no one wants to buy.
Recovery? What Recovery?
Once again, the media is downplaying a blockbuster story—recovery? what recovery?—by dulling it down with a pile of dry, impenetrable statistics.
We Want Jobs. They Care About Body Parts and Kiddie-Poos
As lead stories about body disposal and rearview cameras demonstrate, we don't care about two-party electoral politics because two-party electoral politics don't care about us or our concerns.
Zuckerberg: The $6,000 a Minute Man
Until recently Americans tended to accept the argument that seven- and eight-digit salaries were justified by the value top executives added to the bottom line. Visionaries like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs earned billions in profits for shareholders. They were entrepreneurs. They took risks that changed the world. They deserved to rake in the rewards. People began reassessing this view after the collapse of global capitalism which began in 2008 and--despite the Obama Administration's desperate attempts to cook the unemployment numbers--continues to spin out of control.
Our Suicidal Ruling Class
Obama could announce a big jobs bill, knowing full well that Congressional Republicans would kill it. It would probably increase his reelection prospects. It would kill the Occupy movement. But don't worry. He won't. He can't.
The GOP Bets on Bad Judgement
Conventional wisdom floggers say that if Congress can't strike a deal and economic consequences follow—a reduction in the ratings of U.S. government-issued securities and a panic in the securities market—voters will hold Republicans accountable in 2012. Even if things don't turn that far south, the GOP will pay for their intransigence. Obama wins in a cakewalk. I'm not so sure.
Toxic Assets
The next time someone tells you that capitalism is efficient, remember the mold houses.
Don't Fall for the Phony Budget Crisis
Politicians and pundits from both parties tell us that the good times are over, that we've got to start living within our means. They're lying.
Hope and Change? Not for Americans
Revolutionary foment is on the march around the globe. Not it has arrived in the American Midwest, but where is Obama? What's good for the Hosni isn't good for the Barry.
Animated Cartoon: Disposablenew
It's out! The second official webisode (animated cartoon) by David Essman and yours truly about the downward slide of a typical American family living during the Obama Depression.
This time: Dan and Sarah attempt to hang on to their home.
On Income Inequality, Some Weasels Are More Equal Than Others
Everyone talks about income inequality, but no one does anything about it.
How to Fix the Foreclosure Crisis
Millions of mortgages are going to need reduced interest rates and lower principal to reflect the new reality of the housing market. So who's going to pay?
Banks: Too Pig To Fail?
It is time to stop foreclosures.
Not for a few weeks. Not temporarily.
Forever.
Tags: Housing, Foreclosures
On Economy, No Optimism
Despair oozes between the lines of media interviews of economists. Asked where the recovery will come from, they run down the list of theoretical possibilities, dismissing them one by one. No one knows where the recovery will come from for a simple reason: It isn't coming. Not any time soon.
Anatomy of a Corporate Layoff
They say getting laid off is better than being "fired for cause." You qualify for unemployment benefits. It looks better to future prospective employers (ha! as though those still existed). Getting laid off isn't personal.
For me, that was the problem.
Tags: Economy
