socialist-economics

Links for 12-10-16 [feedly]

Links for 12-10-16
http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2016/12/links-for-12-10-16.html

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Heed union leader’s truth-telling on Trump/Carrier deal and judge on policy, not theatrics [feedly]

Heed union leader's truth-telling on Trump/Carrier deal and judge on policy, not theatrics
http://www.epi.org/blog/heed-union-leaders-truth-telling-on-trumpcarrier-deal-and-judge-on-policy-not-theatrics/

Last week I argued that the Trump-brokered deal with Carrier industries to keep 700 jobs in Indiana shouldn't be treated as a triumph, but instead as a sellout of those unlucky workers who hadn't managed to make themselves useful as PR props for Trump. And yesterday somebody with actual credibility on this—Chuck Jones, a union leader who represents the Carrier employees—buttressed this argument.

One key point here is pretty simple: "doing deals" company-by-company, rather than instituting good policy rules across-the-board, will do nothing for American workers except pit them against each other. The Trump administration's effectiveness in helping American workers should be judged on policy, not theatrics.

The biggest reason why this is true is that deals don't scale-up against a recovering economy. A quick example: in the first quarter of 2009 (the first three months of President Obama's presidency) 2.5 million workers were laid-off. In the most recent three months, 1.5 million workers were laid-off. What does this tell us?

First, that even in normal economic times, there is a ton of churn in the economy. Why do these 700 workers go to the front of the line in getting help from Trump while the other 1.4993 million are left on their own? An ironic note here is pointed out by Harold Meyerson: Trump never would have even heard of the planned Carrier move without the union (and Chuck Jones).

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Fwd: Hawk Is Screamin

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: Stewart Acuff <acuff.stewart@gmail.com>
Date: December 10, 2016 at 1:54:00 PM EST
To: Stewart <acuff.stewart@gmail.com>
Subject: Hawk Is Screamin

Hawk is screamin through these mountains and valleys

Leavin it's track of frozen branches, shiverin limbs

Announcing a barren winter and lives in dread of these

Days of comin struggle and miseries

Unfelt by our generations but too well known in all our histories

Called to strong resistance today as others before in such times as these

By those we now honor--King, Douglass, DuBois

And labor folks--Debs, Big Bill Haywood, Wyndham Mortimer in Flint, Harry Bridges on the docks and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

Others too many to call who stood up against all our histories bullies

And fought together to seize

These heights of goodness for our people and land

And our dreams for all humanity's band.
Sent from my iPhone

Eastern Panhandle Independent Community (EPIC) Radio:Emily Dickinson speaks -- a special Poetry Show

John Case has sent you a link to a blog:

Blog: Eastern Panhandle Independent Community (EPIC) Radio
Post: Emily Dickinson speaks -- a special Poetry Show
Link: http://www.enlightenradio.org/2016/12/emily-dickinson-speaks-special-poetry.html

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EPIC Radio Podcasts:Citizen Action Against THE CREEP on Paris On The Potomac

John Case has sent you a link to a blog:

Blog: EPIC Radio Podcasts
Post: Citizen Action Against THE CREEP on Paris On The Potomac
Link: http://podcasts.enlightenradio.org/2016/12/citizen-action-against-creep-on-paris.html

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EPIC Radio Podcasts:Labor Beat Radio Welcomes West Virginia Delegate Mike Pushkin

John Case has sent you a link to a blog:

Blog: EPIC Radio Podcasts
Post: Labor Beat Radio Welcomes West Virginia Delegate Mike Pushkin
Link: http://podcasts.enlightenradio.org/2016/12/labor-beat-radio-welcomes-west-virginia.html

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Does Donald Trump own the “white working class”?

https://goo.gl/OcysJh

An excellent article by Roberta Wood. However, it would be stronger with additional emphasis on the poverty, health, drug and education crisis that surrounds and imprisons the"racially isolated" rural communities.

Saturday, December 10, 2016