Putting health care reform in its place

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on November 2, 2009 at 10:22 am

Behind job creation policies, that is. Robert Reich says the president has spent his political capital on the wrong priority.

The optimist in me says Obama can pivot off a health-care victory and launch some new initiatives that palpably and quickly spur job growth. The realist says there aren’t any such initiatives — at least none that can work fast enough to reverse the tide of unemployment before the midterm elections.

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Tags: employment, jobs, legislative issues, National health care reform, recession, Robert Reich  

The government’s money isn’t helping the people

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on September 24, 2009 at 8:01 am

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich says all those federal billions being pumped into the economy aren’t making their way to the common man and woman.

Despite the happy Dow and notwithstanding the upbeat corporate earnings, most corporations are still shedding workers and slashing payrolls. And the big banks still aren’t lending to Main Street.

Trickle-down economics didn’t work when the supply-siders were in charge. And it’s not working now, at a time when — despite all their cries of “socialism” — big business and Wall Street are more politically potent than ever.

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Tags: bailout, consumer spending, economy, employment, government spending, government stimulus, Robert Reich