An Economy for All
Top Stories
Building a Smart Grid, Smartly
October 27th, 2009
President Barack Obama announced today $3.4 billion in government grants to help build a "smart" electric grid. Like many Obama initiatives, it’s a smart first step. But much more is needed and one piece is rarely mentioned at all. more » Featured Issues
The Next Financial Crisis
Our banks have gotten into the habit of needing to be rescued through repeated bailouts. During this crisis, Bernanke — while saving the financial system in the short term — has done nothing to break this long-term pattern; worse, he exacerbated it. As a result, unless real reform happens soon, we face the prospect of another bubble-bust-bailout cycle that will be even more dangerous than the one we’ve just been through.... more »
Ron Bloom named "manufacturing czar"
Brief statement from Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) Executive Director Scott Paul on the naming of Ron Bloom as the Obama Administration’s Senior Counselor for Manufacturing Policy.... more »
The Jobs Agenda At The G-20 Summit
Did President Obama seize the opportunity at the G-20 summit to set a new foundation for job growth and fair trade? We examine the issues that preceded the summit and critique what it accomplished for American workers.
» Read Dave Johnson's blogs from the G-20 | Other G-20 blogs and commentary
» THE CONTEXT: Robert Borosage: It's not yet time to declare victory over the recession.
» G-20 PREVIEW REPORT: Lessons to Learn, Choices To Make | Blog by Eric Lotke
... more »
The Case
Why An Economy for All?
Conservatives call the state of the economy the “greatest story never told,” but in reality it’s an economy reminiscent of the Gilded Age. The myth of a booming economy does not reflect the everyday experiences of working-class Americans. In fact, most Americans see the nation either in or near a recession. We need a broad reassessment of our economic policies.more »
Minimum Wage Hike: Stimulus When We Need It
On July 24, the federal minimum wage increased to $7.25 an hour. At a time when getting money into the hands of workers—and thus consumers—is key to jump-starting the economy, a 10.7 percent wage increase will mean $1.6 billion in extra purchasing power for the estimated 4.5 million workers directly affected by the increase. more »
The Facts
Manufacturing Jobs Decline 17% Past Seven Years
Between 2001 and 2007, more 3 million manufacturing workers lost their jobs—a 17 percent decline.
Unfair Taxes, Benefit Wealthy, Hurt Middle Class
Today, the top federal income-tax rate for ordinary income is 35 percent, meaning that earned income is taxed at a rate 2 1/3 higher than income from capital gains
The News
Fisker to Make Plug-in Hybrids at Former G.M. Plant
October 26th, 2009
4.5 Million 'Net' Green Jobs in America Possible by 2030
October 26th, 2009
The Case
It's Not About What Congress Does, But What It Delivers
When most voters believe their lives are getting better, then the party in power will benefit politically. Ideological abstractions about the size of government or appealing to the base don't matter quite as much. It really is about delivering the goods. The smart post-election political argument for a governing party should be about what policies they can pass that will improve people's lives, not about how to appeal to voters on a more abstract level.more »
Obama Faces His Anzio
Remember those Republican boasts that they would turn health care into President Obama’s Waterloo? Well, exit polls suggest that to the extent that health care was an issue in Tuesday’s elections, it worked in Democrats’ favor. But while health care won’t be Mr. Obama’s Waterloo, economic policy is starting to look like his Anzio.more »
Latest from our Bloggers
nov
6
2009
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Today’s unemployment data contain gloomy news. Gloomy, but expected. The interpretation of the data is even worse. more »
nov
5
2009
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Today’s “Productivity and Costs” data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics contain what looks like good news. But keep the cork in the bottles.more »
nov
4
2009
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The financial reform effort was dealt a significant setback in the House Financial Services Committee today when the committee approved a regulatory bill (HR 3817)< more »
nov
4
2009
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At a meeting with bloggers before last week's Building The New Economy conference, AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka talked about how we have developed two economies, one real and one financial. more »
nov
1
2009
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Investing recklessness at Harvard is making 'the best and the brightest' look awfully silly — almost as silly as a nation that lets staggering quantities of wealth continue to concentrate.
oct
30
2009
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The daily Progressive Breakfast serves up what progressive movement members need to know to start their day. Bill Scher is traveling; he will return Monday.
Thursday's news that the nation's gross domestic product grew at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter comes with a lot of asterisks. A few of them:
