Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Hey Rustbelt and beyond, Losing factories is not new

(There’s a movie at the end!) For decades we have been hearing about the loss of industrial production through out what is called the “Rust Belt”.  It’s presented, even as recent as the prior presidential election as a relative regional problem that only began post Reagan.  What gets me though is that the reporting and […]

Nick and Joe are doing their best to beat back Milton Friedman et al

Nick Hanauer, Joseph Sitglitz videos. This is the latest presentation Nick Hanauer has made regarding the upside downness of our economy and the backward, selfish thinking that has gotten us here. In this one he is talking to his “plutocrat” friends: We plutocrats need to see that the United States of America made us not […]

More New Books Highlight Plight of Middle Class

by Kenneth Thomas More New Books Highlight Plight of Middle Class The situation of the middle class is a hot topic these days, and rightly so. In addition to James Carville and Stan Greenberg’s recent book, It’s the Middle Class, Stupid, new books are out by Donald Barlett & James Steele, Jeff Faux, and Mike […]

Why the World Should Care About America’s Middle Class

by Kenneth Thomas Guest post: Why the World Should Care About America’s Middle Class Tim Worstall, in his Forbes blog, attacks my series (here and here) on whether globalization is good for America’s middle class. Not on the basis that he disagrees with my conclusion (though he does), but because, he argues, there are much […]

Is Globalization Good for America’s Middle Class? Part 1

by Kenneth Thomas Is Globalization Good for America’s Middle Class? Part 1 In this blog, I have frequently documented economic trends that have been bad for the middle class: Declining real wages, steadily falling bang for the healthcare buck, stagnant educational attainment, the gigantic cost of tax havens, etc. With this post, I want to […]