AltWeeklies Wire
Still the Promised Land: Poverty, Policy and Hope in the Rust Beltnew
Out west in gigantic, thriving Chicago, there’s a debate underway between a journalist and an IT consultant over whether regionalism can help the hollowing-out cities of the Rust Belt.
Meet the Rebel Economists Who Predicted the Financial Collapsenew
The economics profession has been dominated by the disciples of the late free-market guru Milton Friedman and others of the Chicago School, so named because of their prominence on the faculty of the University of Chicago. But for decades, there has been an overshadowed (and at times bitterly ridiculed) alternative group of economists who have long been warning that the Neoclassical orthodoxy was missing the boat and leading us astray.
The Recession is Ending, but Only for Banks and Investors ... The Rest of Us Are Still Screwednew
It's over. The depression, recession, whatever you want to call it -- it's over. The corporate media told me so.
How Do You Take the Rust Out of the Rust Belt?new
It's a question politicians and policymakers have been asking themselves for years. Now, with a new administration in the White House and stimulus money at the ready, local lawmakers and nonprofits are looking for ways to funnel some much-needed capital into revitalizing Great Lakes cities.
Buffalo or California: Which Is the Better National Bellwether?new
It's now reasonable, and not far-fetched, to expect fiscal chaos in state and local governments in the next two years. Here's what fiscal chaos means: more Californias.
Why Do We Bail Out Wall Street Bankers?new
Ben Bernanke's Federal Reserve and Timothy Geithner's Treasury Department continue to sink billions of dollars into the black hole of Wall Street, but those billions have not prevented the US economy’s nosedive toward a crash and burn ending. And what is Bernanke's solution? More of the same.
Tags: finance, economic issues
On Ponzi Capitalismnew
Two names have been wed in the news this month: Charles Ponzi, the con artist busted in 1920, and Bernard Madoff, one of America's most successful hedge fund managers and a reputable pillar of the Wall Street financial community. But I'm confused, because a ponzi scheme also describes the global economy.
Will Obama Give Us the Right Kind of Stimulus?new
Let's hope that the outgoing Bush administration, the incoming Obama administration, the permanent mandarins of the think tanks, and the Congressional majorities all come together so that we get an adequate stimulus package -- so that we shall still have the choice to purchase a GM, Ford, or Chrysler product in the coming years, preferably the plug-in hybrid that Obama wants them to make.
In Paulson We Trustnew
Did the treasury secretary let Lehman Brothers fail, exacerbating the nascent crisis, knowing it would punish liberal financier George Soros and benefit his old firm, Goldman Sachs?
If Wall Street Gets a Bailout, Will Infrastructure Get a Boost?new
There has never been a more stark contrast between two radically different prescriptions for economic recovery than the one that is playing out here in New York, in the state that is the home of the finance, insurance, and real estate economy -- which just blew up.
Chumps & Champs in the Financial Meltdownnew
No matter who is in the White House next year, the script has already been written. Bailout or fallout -- any outcome will cost us big. The money has to come from somewhere.
How Washington Could Shape the Future Coming Out of the Meltdownnew
Let's talk about reform, and your money, and what government should do now that there is a genuine, world-class financial crisis.
How McCain's Economic Advisor, and Bill Clinton's, Screwed the Economynew
What we're experiencing is not just one of those occasional stock market swoons or interest-rate tangos. What's going on now is a calamity of the sort not seen since the dark days of 1929.
Live It or Lose Itnew
Writer and activist Francis Moore Lappe has developed a revolutionary philosophy on hunger, poverty and global food systems.
Tags: Economic Issues
Out of Energy?
Fuel alternatives abound, but the federal government isn't about to fund them.
