Economic Update

Economic Update - Change: Sawant in Seattle - 06.07.15

Updates offer latest on Greece's struggles with Europe, a critique of Buffett on rich vs poor and a hard look at $400 million gift to Harvard from billionaire Paulson. Responses to listeners on new Mayor of Barcelona and TPP. A detailed interview with socialist Kshama Sawant and her seat on Seattle's city council.

The New Deal Lives - 05.31.15

We begin with Larry Summers and other signs of a broken economic system. Then the economics of Nebraska ending it's death penalty and vast sports corruption (FIFA). Responses to listeners on reorganizing universities and household class structures. Major interview with two guests, Professor Richard Walker and  Dr. Gray Brechin,  on rediscovering the New Deal.

Austerity Resistance Rising - 05.24.15

Opening updates focus on Seattle, Puerto Rico, Los Angeles, and Portugal. We then examine business domination of universities in service to profits and Republican efforts to undermine Democrats revenues from unions. We answer listeners' questions about business influence on govt policies and the question: "What is fascism?". Major topics treated in the program's second half are repression aimed at those resisting austerity and crisis of US higher education.

Economic Update - Profit-Driven Capitalism - 05.17.15

In this edition of Economic Update, we look at Verizon's purchase of AOL, why Facebook's "contribution" to ending inequality falls so short, how latest $$ gift to Yale increases inequality, how UK elections reflect "scapegoat economics, and why deadly Mediterranean migrations reflect capitalism's globally uneven development. We also respond to listener questions on (1) Americans' attitudes toward income and wealth inequality by our analysis of recent Gallup Polls and (2) whether student debts can lead to reduced Social Security benefits and what that means. This edition's major discussions (1) build on "sharing unemployment" to show how we can combine respect for our natural environment with a fair sharing of the leisure that could result, and (2) analyze the significance of recent guilty pleas by major banks for manipulating currency exchange rates for their private profit. 

Economic Update - Children, Capitalism, Family Values? - 05.10.15

Updates on Alberta election, Kansas closes schools early, Gallup polls on unequal US wealth and on average work weeks over 40 hours, Uber and markets, ignorance about USSR economy. Response to listeners on public subsidies to private profits. Interview with Dr. Harriet Fraad on children and families in US capitalism.

Capitalism's Other Side - 05.03.15

Updates on May Day holiday, Baltimore uprising, Nepal earthquake/poverty, Varoufakis vs repression, and Bud Light pushing beer by endangering women. Response to listener's questions on varieties of coops. Interview with Prof. Yahya Madra on Turkey, Capitalism, and Islam.

Capitalism and War - 04.26.15

Updates on UK elections, crisis's long-term effects, Kansas demonizes the poor, and the mustard-ketchup economic war. Responses to listeners on child-support economics and car production moving to Mexico. Major discussions: capitalism and war - a history, new stages of Cuban socialism and US Cuba-policy, the high stakes of Greece's economic situation.

Economic Update - Honest Economics - 04.19.15

Updates on Bernanke's new big-bucks finance job, GM avoids billions in victims' claims for faulty ignitions, Seattle capitalist raises all workers to minimum $70k/yr, Americans' self-delusion on inequality, private profit trumps public policy, and anti-student-debt activism. Responses to listeners: impact on China if capitalism's relocation stopped. Major discussions of economics of wages and prices, narrowness of economics education, and basic global economic development issue.

The Worker Coop Alternative - 04.12.15

Updates on inadequate unemployment insurance, Ted Cruz's campaign money, law giving domestic workers real benefits, and demonizing the poor. Responses to questions on California drought and US medical system's experiments on people. Interview with Yochai Gal on TechCollectives he organized: two successful worker coops.

Economic Change and Personal Life Crises - 04.03.15

Updates on car parts industry, German courts cut Uber, Russia's economy grows despite sanctions, no recovery in declining teaching positions for new US PhDs in humanities, and huge Mexican strikes against Driscoll berries produced for US. Responses to listeners on (1) countries' currency manipulations and (2) role of unions in workers' coops. Interview Dr. Harriet Fraad, mental health counsellor, on how capitalism's changes since 1970s have disrupted the personal lives of US men and women and creative solutions.