Working Life

    Why doesn’t Bill Daley, the White House Chief of Staff, just come right out and say it: we’re going to ram through these so-called "free trade" deals because, dammit, we need that corporate cash for the re-election campaign? Just be honest. Stop coloring it in the phony Republican-corporate rhetoric of "job creation". Then, at […]

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   Every so-called "free trade" deal that has shimmied its way through Congress has been greased with legalized bribery, starting with NAFTA in 1993, which was the king of all "what will buy your vote" deals. But, the biggest scam, in my opinion, is the "retraining" workers are offered in return for…sacrificing their middle-class livelihood […]

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If you share the belief that the greatest economic challenge we face is stopping the stupefying global class warfare underway, then, we have to be quite clear about the tools that support the attack against decent living standards for people and a fair sharing of the wealth. So-called "free trade" is right up there on […]

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   Last week, I wondered whether the president would keep his campaign promise about NAFTA. Today, Colombia is on my mind because of this piece in The Wall Street Journal: President Barack Obama discussed a pending free-trade agreement with his Colombian counterpart Saturday and dispatched his trade representative to discuss U.S. concerns over Colombia’s treatment […]

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   At least, for the foreseeable future. So says an article in yesterday’s New York Times: In recent months, nearly 100 newspapers in the United States have endorsed the Colombia trade agreement. So have many top Democrats, including Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago. And Mr. Uribe, who was already popular in Congress, was widely […]

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  I’ve said before that I believe that the Democratic nomination fight is over, though the hype may drag on for a bit. But, a nice chunk of super delegates–perhaps as many as a dozen or more–may make their choice based on where the candidates stand on trade. And that’s a good sign for people […]

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    Sen. Sherrod Brown, one of the best legislators in the Congress on just about every issue but certainly on trade, had an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal yesterday that called "Don’t Call Me a Protectionist". Taking on the issue of the so-called "free trade" deal with Colombia, here’s the key passage: Let’s […]

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    You know how the proponents of the so-called "free trade" deal with Colombia have argued that the U.S. just has to move ahead with the deal to show support for the great protectors of democracy in Colombia? Er…get me rewrite on those speeches. From Reuters on Monday: Colombian government ministries and other state institutions […]

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    This is what makes me weep that I am a Democrat (from yesterday’s National Journal’s CongressDailyPM): House Speaker Pelosi today offered some hope for passage of a free trade agreement with Colombia, but said it would fail if the White House tries to jam the deal down Congress’ throat. "Perhaps we can get some […]

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    Simon Romero, a correspondent for The New York Times in South America, seems to spend most of his time trying to write up the next slanted article against Hugo Chavez. So, it’s no wonder that he lets the obvious evade him. Well, today is different–a bit. I’m going to guess that his editors in […]

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