Working Life

   In February 1960, Dr. Martin Luther King sent this to 11 jailed protestors: I HAVE JUST LEARNED OF YOUR COURAGEOUS WILLINGNESS TO GO TO JAIL INSTEAD OF PAYING FINES FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS PROTEST AGAINST SEGREGATED EATING FACILITIES. THROUGH THIS DECISION YOU HAVE AGAIN PROVEN THAT THERE IS NOTHING MORE MAJESTIC AND SUBLIME THAN THE […]

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   This was inevitable and quite worrisome: Companies are quietly and gradually moving their pension funds out of stocks. They want to reduce their investment risk and are buying more long-term bonds. But states and other bodies of government are seeking higher returns for their pension funds, to make up for ground lost in the […]

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   Here is a contrast: the Congress passed a $15 billion jobs bill that could charitably be called pathetic–it *might* create a couple of hundred thousands new jobs, when we need almost 11 million jobs just to get back to pre-crisis levels. On the other hand, any health care reform bill that seems like it […]

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The greatest threat to our future is the way in which we let certain trends and norms become an almost accepted way the economy works. For example, the poverty-level minimum wage is rarely challenged and it is a fundamental part of the strategy of business in America–and a core reason for the greatest divide between […]

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   The issue of trade has sort of receded into the background. Yesterday, though, Sen. Sherrod Brown made clear that he is not thrilled with the Administration’s stance: For too long, our country has followed a Golden Rule trade policy: we treat others as we’d like them to treat us.  That’s a great rule for […]

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Yesterday, I raised my concerns about the Senate’s proposal to hand more power to the Federal Reserve Board and give the Fed the role of protecting consumers. Honestly, I thought it was a cruel joke and a perfect example of the Washington insiders protecting the interests of Wall Street. Barney Frank agrees.   Here is […]

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   It is hard to overstate how out-of-touch the insiders in Washington are–and how much they are far more attuned to the demands of Wall Street and the financial powers-that-be. You can’t find a better example than the apparent bi-partisan deal to give the Federal Reserve Board more power–and, most astonishingly, the power to protect […]

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   Yours truly is the new owner of an IPhone but this is not a discussion of the pros and cons of the device (the jury is still out). But, the cool company has got some issues about the treatment of its workers: The Cupertino, Calif., company, in a report posted to its Web site, […]

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  It is not easy, under our current "free market" economic rules, to push corporations to do the right thing when the overriding imperative of every CEO is to maximize their own massive pay packages. But, every year, the federal government spends billions of dollars in our tax dollars–our hard-earned money–to buy services. Here is […]

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   In one day, you can read how the powerful economic interests have defeated the public interest. Start with the  theatrics of the health care "summit"–an event that only underscores how the insurance industry has defeated the people. Already anticipating failure, the president wants to roll back health reform even further: President Barack Obama will […]

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