The World in Transformation

By Mitchell Rabin - On a horizontal level, there is a mounting volume of chaos occurring in virtually every country in the world. There is economic, social and political turmoil, which one feels, is swelling. History shows us that this kind of chaos-to-order occurs cyclically and it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Having lived through several cycles already, and of course having missed the World War time periods, I may not be the most qualified to say, but I do sense that we are going through something right now that really is world- transforming nation-to-nation, culture-to-culture. The Arab Spring, the uprisings in England, France, Greece, Wisconsin, the growing economic disparities in the so-called 'richest' nation on the planet, the vast deterioration of ethics, it's awesome to contemplate what is happening in this world.

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A Progressive Stimulus Package for America’s Future Sustainability

by Gary Null, PhD

There is no doubt that a stimulus package is direly needed during this global economic meltdown. But America needs much more than simply a budget that will induce economic recovery. She needs the minds of her citizens to be stimulated into a new way of thinking that will result in the reforming of the basic institutions overseeing our financial, health, political and social requirements. Consequently, we have solicited thoughts, critiques and comments from some of America’s most brilliant and progressive minds. These individuals see our nation and our governing financial and political bodies differently. They see beyond the limiting belief systems that empower these institutions as the sole arbiters of the critical decisions and policies affecting Americans.

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Koch Bros - It's the evil thing

Tired of the Koch Brothers buying our political system?

Then join the campaign to push Koch money out and bring democracy back in - sign up at http://kochblocked.com/ to join The Other 98% as we fight Koch money wherever it shows up - and maybe take part in some more awesome creative agitation.

WHY WALL STREET IS WINNING: A Hated Financial Center Is Bouncing Back. How did they Do It?

Danny Schechter

A Hated Financial Center Is Bouncing Back. How did they Do It?

Two years ago as financial reform was put on the U.S. Congressional agenda, a skeptical Senator, Dick Durbin of Illinois, spoke of the power of the banks over the country’s legislative process.

“They run the place,” he said matter of factly.

The comment was then treated as a sidebar in the few newspapers that carried it, perhaps because it The remark about a shadowy power structure far more important than all the partisan in-fighting that dominates the news is worth recalling as a way of explaining how little has been done to rain in Wall Street in the years since its crash virtually wrecked the global economy.

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The Real Story of Our Economy -- Why Our Standard of Living Has Stalled Out

Do public sector workers earn more than private sector workers? Who cares? This boneheaded question has us fighting over the crumbs. (And the answer is no -- all credible studies show that when you account for educational levels, the total compensation packages are about the same.)

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David Korten: Our Growth Economy -- A System Designed to Crash

The unrealistic expectation that money should grow effortlessly in perpetuity [see my last blog] is more than an issue of unrealizable expectations. It combines with a Wall Street controlled debt-based money system to create an imperative for the economy to grow the profits of bankers, and thereby the richest among us, to keep the financial system, and thereby the economy, from collapsing

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True Obama debt bigger than planet's entire GDP

As the Obama administration prepares to finance a Fiscal Year 2011 budget deficit expected to top $1.6 trillion, the American public is largely unaware that the true negative net worth of the federal government reached $76.3 trillion last year.

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Bob Chapman: An Economy on Steroids: US Poverty Levels Equal to the 1930s

Wall Street at least temporarily relieved of the burden of having to buy Treasuries & Agency bonds, is looking at the jump in oil prices as nothing more than an irritant to their plans for a higher market.

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School Woes Rooted in Boardrooms, Not Classrooms

Champions of public education often claim that student achievement drives the economy. Economic innovation and competitiveness supposedly depend on how much students learn in school. Investing in public education is thus wise policy because it ensures our collective prosperity.

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Bernanke: Steep budget cuts this year would threaten economy

WASHINGTON — Steep spending cuts proposed by Republicans in the House of Representatives would slow the nation's economic growth, cost jobs and work against the Federal Reserve's efforts to stimulate the economy, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned lawmakers Tuesday.

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