Political Economy category archive
An Accidental Truth 0
David Farmer has a Pence-ive thought.
Drop. Bucket. 0
Aside:
I wish people would get their terms correct. These are not “stimulus” checks. They are relief checks.
An Authority on Authoritarianism 0
Thom and his guest discuss the workings of authorianism.
Courting Disasters 0
In denying Pennsylvania Republicans’ efforts to retroactively exclude mail-in (aka, “absentee”) ballots from the tally of the recent election, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court went so far as to use the word “farcical” in their ruling.
The Stock Market Is Not the Economy, One More Time 0
The editorial board of the Bangor Daily News explains. A nugget:
More at the link.
_____________________
*Heather Boushey, president and CEO of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.
The Stock Market Is Not the Economy, Part Tertillion 0
Bob Peckman explains at The Roanoke Times. Here are some of his main points; follow the link for an exploration of each.
Why are we among the world losers? Do not say that Trump was sabotaging our country. . . .
From Trump’s recently revealed comments, I think we can assume that he was telling reassuring lies to avoid upsetting the economy.
(snip)
Trump knows nothing about the economy of a society, only how a business can take money FROM society.
Aside:
Notice that the author said “take money,” not “make money.” Methinks that choice of wording was quite deliberate.
The Whitelash 0
Darcia F. Narvaez explores the human cost of what she refers to as “movement conservatism,” which is defined in detail in the opening of her article. She cites several specific examples from the research of Jonathan Metzl (citation at the link), arguing that the policies are rooted in racism, but ultimately rebounded to harm the white voters who supported them.
Follow the link for very specific examples, and, as you do, remember the words of Lyndon Johnson.
(Broken link fixed.)
The Case of the Base 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Vinita Mehta points out that the conventional wisdom as to the roots of Donald Trump’s support are not born out by facts (emphasis added).
So, why did Trump amass a larger following than expected?
She goes on to cite an article by Professor Thomas Pettigrew and to explore the five factors that he identifies as characterizing Trump’s core supporters, which include
1. Social Dominance Orientation
2. Authoritarianism
3. Relative (i. e., perceived–ed.) deprivation
4. Prejudice
5. Intergroup contact (or lack thereof–ed.)
I commend the entire piece to your attention.
The Privatization Scam, There’s No Money To Be Made from the Public Good Dept. 0
David and Richard Wolff discuss the economic reasons why capitalism failed to protect the public from the pandemic.
Sacrificial Lambs 0
At the Idaho State Journal, Jim Jones explains.
Taxed beyond Endurance 0
I paid more in federal income tax last year than Donald Trump paid in the last decade.
Hell, I paid more in state income tax last year–oh, never mind.
Of course, the cultists will be in no way discombobulated, because Dear Leader is always right and never wrong.
Follow the Money 0
Thom and Dr. Richard Wolff discuss the economic underpinnings of racial and ethnic discrimination and police brutality.