Blogs: Making It In America


Robert Borosage's picture

What Obama's Next Big Speech Should Be

Just as he does in health care, President Obama in the coming days must address a fundamental threat to our security that can no longer be ignored, which challenges powerful and entrenched interests -- and that is coming to a head over the course of this month. Obama's upcoming decision on how to respond to China's illegal dumping of tires into the U.S. market is emblematic of challenges in building the new economy that politicians in both parties have no stomach for facing but the country doesn't have the luxury of avoiding.

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Dave Johnson's picture

Chinese Coal Mine Explosion And Protectionism

At the recent Netroots Nation gathering in Pittsburgh bloggers toured the J. Edgar Thomson steel mill. more »

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Dave Johnson's picture

Who Else is Against American Manufacturing? III

"A country’s economic power comes from manufacturing. But while other countries have industrial policies, America has a de-inustrialization policy. more »

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Leo Gerard's picture

Fomenting a Green Industrial Revolution In the U.S.

When the leaders of the G-20 nations arrive in Pittsburgh, I want them to know I am fomenting revolution -- Industrial revolution. Specifically, a 21st-century burgeoning of green manufacturing in the United States.

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Dave Johnson's picture

Who Opposes American Manufacturing? II

A country’s economic power comes from manufacturing. But while other countries have industrial policies, America has a de-industrialization policy. We have handed our country’s manufacturing capacity over to other countries, and as a result we have to borrow more and more to be able to buy the things that we used to make. How did this come to be? more »

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Tula Connell's picture

‘Young Workers: A Lost Decade’

Something bad happened in the past 10 years to young workers in this country: Since 1999, more of them now have lower-paying jobs, if they can get a job at all; health care is a rare luxury and retirement security is something for their parents, not them. In fact, many—younger than 35—still live at home with their parents because they can’t afford to be on their own.

These are the findings of a new report, “Young Workers: A Lost Decade.” Conducted in July 2009 by Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the AFL-CIO and our community affiliate Working America, the nationwide survey of 1,156 people follows up on a similar survey the AFL-CIO conducted in 1999. The deterioration of young workers’ economic situation in those 10 years is alarming.

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Mike Elk's picture

Labor Movement Gets Tough and Threatens to Cut Off Cowardly Democrats

For a long time, Corporate Democrats have taken advantage of organized labor to mobilize voters for them and fund their campaigns. However when big votes come up against powerful corporate interested, these Democrats continually abandon organized labor on key issues like the public option, Employee Free Choice Act, trade agreements, and other issues important for working people. more »

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Dave Johnson's picture

Who Would Be Against American Manufacturing?

Wall-Street-150px.gifA country’s economic power comes from manufacturing. But while other countries have industrial policies, America has a de-industrialization policy. We have handed our country’s manufacturing capacity over to other countries, and as a result we have to borrow more and more to be able to buy the things that we used to make. How did this come to be? Who would be against American manufacturing?

Read the three-part series by Dave Johnson:

Part I: Who Would Be Against American Manufacturing?

Part II: Who Opposes American Manufacturing?

Part III: Who Else is Against American Manufacturing?

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Mike Elk's picture

Stop The Teabaggers, Give Them Green Jobs: Lessons From the Coalfields of West Virginia

West Virginia shows us how we could easily win over this key segment of society, working class whites, with a New Deal-style industrial policy. more »

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Dave Johnson's picture

The Bonuses and the Damage They Do

This is a story we are all too familiar with: Wall Street vs. Main Street. Irresponsible behavior leads to bonuses for Wall Street while working hard and playing by the rules leads to unemployment and foreclosure for Main Street. more »

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