Blogs: Making It In America

Following are my prepared notes for my talk on the Netroots Nation panel, Why Can't Apple Make Your iPhone in America? except cleaned up to make me look better: more »

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We've reported frequently on the abusive labor practices and suicides at Apple's Foxconn factory in China.  Essentially, Apple outsources the production of its iPad and iPhone to a massive more »

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You buy things till your wallet is empty. So you raid the savings account to buy more stuff. Then you get a loan, and buy more stuff. Another loan, another, you keep buying stuff... Finally you're selling off the tools you had used to make a living. That's where the country is now because of the huge imbalance in our trade relationships. more »

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Combine a too-optimistic administration with a Republican Party that is sabotaging the economy as a campaign strategy and what do you get? You get today's terrible jobs report. First, though, remember that the economy lost 818,000 jobs in the last month of the Bush presidency. The stimulus at least turned that around. more »

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Before Greece, before Spain, before Germany, France, or even Britain there was Ireland. Just two years ago, the Heritage Foundation placed Ireland in the top ten of its "Index of Economic Freedom." That was two years after the "Celtic Tiger" that was the Irish economy had been effectively neutered. After a bubble-driven boom similar to ours, Ireland became the first Eurozone country to enter a recession in 2008 — its first in 25 years. What Heritage called "sharp economic adjustments" in 2010 turned out to be the first step down Ireland's road to ruin, and the beginning of "Disaster Capitalism's" catastrophic success in Europe (also known as "austerity").

Whether the American conservatives keep referring to to Ireland as a "success" because or in spite of the above, it Ireland may yet join the Eurozone's austerity backlash. Then we'll find out if the "Celtic Tiger" has been declawed as well as neutered, and just how catastrophic austerity's "success" has been for the Irish. 

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Last fall, we pondered whether Apple could start building iPads and iPhones in the U.S.  Our conclusion was, YES, Apple could indeed start assembling products in the U.S. 

Some key points:

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Democracy properly applied brings widespread prosperity because when people have a say what they say is give everyone good wages, benefits and a share of the pie. They say reinvest some of the profits in infrastructure and education to keep the good times rolling. Last but not least they demand equal enforcement of the rule of law. more »

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The Mitt Romney campaign is airing an ad promising that on his first day in office Romney would "stand up to China" and demand "they play by the rules." Romney has the opportunity right now to demonstrate that he will live up to these words. He can ask Republicans in Congress to sign a discharge petition to bring up for a vote a currency manipulation bill that 61 of them co-sponsored. more »

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A number of groups representing American manufacturing companies and industries have asked the Obama administration for clear language that bans currency manipulation to be included in any new trade bills. more »

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Which is better for an economy: millions of future jobs and trillions of future dollars, or a few people making a quick buck today by selling out their country? For decades America's 1%-backed conservatives have chosen the latter course, and we can see the results all around us. more »

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