Working Life

   Since I posted yesterday’s appeal to labor to really dive into the financial crisis, I’ve gotten a number of calls or emails pointing to various statements made by labor leaders. As I said yesterday, I’m truly glad that John Sweeney, Andy Stern and others have made strong public statements.    BUT…statements are not enough. […]

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With the country facing the biggest financial crisis in 100 years, which threatens the homes, livelihoods and bank accounts of millions of working Americans, where is the labor movement? This moment fits the classic observation by community organizer Saul Alinksy that the Chinese character for "crisis" means both "danger" and "opportunity". The "danger" part is […]

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   Look, in the middle of this economic crisis and financial meltdown, you have to wonder: why is this election close? The answer is: race. All those negative answers to questions about whether Barack Obama has enough experience, or can be commander-in-chief or…whatever you want to choose, boil down to certain people won’t vote for […]

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   So, let’s see if we can sum this week’s drama:    Over the past weekend, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says, basically, nothing to worry about, we’ve got this financial crisis under control now that we–the taxpayers–own Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.    Opppsss…then comes Monday. Paulson says, eh, don’t worry everything is okay even […]

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   That isn’t my rhetoric. That comes straight from the voice of Wall Street this morning, The Wall Street Journal: Worst Crisis Since ’30s, With No End Yet in Sight By JON HILSENRATH, SERENA NG and DAMIAN PALETT The financial crisis that began 13 months ago has entered a new, far more serious phase. Lingering […]

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   You might remember yesterday–oh, how long ago that seems as events move so quickly–that I suggested that you couldn’t trust the reassurances of either the president or the Treasury Secretary when they say things are under control and the financial system is sound. And so…look at today’s story: Fearing a financial crisis worldwide, the […]

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   Would you buy anything from this man, even an opinion?: “I know Americans are concerned about the adjustments that are taking place in our financial markets,” Mr. Bush said at a ceremony to welcome the president of Ghana. He added: “In the short run, adjustments in the financial markets can be painful — both […]

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   Yours truly is hitting the road early and so will be out of reach for the morning of all the websites and news…good thing…because when the market opens at 9, all hell is going to break loose. I’m not sure how many people on Main Street understand the deep panic underway among the financial […]

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  Well, I’m only half serious. But, there is something interesting to watch when it comes to China and its labor movement. And a lesson to learn when a government says "you have to have unions".   China is wracked with labor strife literally every day, though we almost never read about it: work stoppages, […]

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Pardon me for interrupting the great national debate–on lipstick, ads, earmarks, polls and other "crucial" issues–by inserting a modest suggestion: since we, the taxpayers, are now on the hook for hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae (a lot more than the grand total of all earmarks in the […]

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