The term “Reich” in US politics can be quite confusing, because there are two: a right Reich and a wrong Reich. Even more confusing, the right Reich is the Reich on the left. He is economist,l Robert Reich, and virtually everything he presents is right. Conversely, the wrong Reich is the Reich on the right. It is the Republican Reich, the Republican attempt to convert the US into a totalitarian state, a plutocracy with sham elections, controlled media, and a state religion, Supply-side pseudo-Christianity, to control the masses. Virtually everything they present is wrong. Here is the right Reich.
What does the Supreme Court’s “McCutcheon” decision this week have to do with today’s jobs report, showing 192,000 new jobs for March?
Connect the dots. More than five years after Wall Street’s near meltdown the number of full-time workers is still less than it was in December 2007, yet the working-age population of the U.S. has increased by 13 million since then.
This explains why so many people are still getting nowhere. Unemployment among those 18 to 29 is 11.4 percent, nearly double the national rate.
Most companies continue to shed workers, cut wages, and horde their cash because they don’t have enough customers to warrant expansion. Why? The vast middle class and poor don’t have enough purchasing power, as 95 percent of the economy’s gains go to the top 1 percent.
That’s why we need to (1) cut taxes on average people (say, exempting the first $15,000 of income from Social Security taxes and making up the shortfall by taking the cap off income subject to it), (2) raise the minimum wage, (3) create jobs by repairing roads, bridges, ports, and much of the rest of our crumbling infrastructure, (4) add teachers and teacher’s aides to now over-crowded classrooms, and (5) create “green” jobs and a new WPA for the long-term unemployed… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Robert Reich>
In sharp contrast, just read the Ryan budget to see what the wrong Reich plans. Unless you’re super rich, it will harm you.
Not only do I fully support the right Reich’s plan, but also, the only element I haven’t proposed myself on numerous occasions is the $15,000 FICA exemption.
To move toward the right Reich, we have to stop the wrong Reich. Whether or not we can depends, in part, on what YOU do between now and November.
14 Responses to “Right Reich – Wrong Reich”
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LOL! Loved your paragraph TC – you used to write skits*, didn't you – that was brilliant! Robert Reich is as always right – and the Right will never admit it as they try and grab every asset in the world for themselves…
Actually no. But I've written several speeches.
But Pat A is right that it reads a wee bit like "Who's on First?"
SCROTUS has made another huge error in their latest decision to allow the Uber-wealthy to buy politicians wholesale. As long as they keep making decisions like this it is going to be harder and harder to replace Ryan and those like him on the Heil. OOPS! I meant hill.
Reich is right as usual.
The "Christian Right" is neither "Christian" nor "right"..I've always called them the Reich-wing. Robert Reich on the other hand is sort of Liberal, because there for a while (end of Bu$h era & starting Obama) he had a few articles that I didn't like so much. But for the last year or so he's gone back to Liberal basics & seems much more committed than before. I Like That! 🙂
Gene is correct that any "new jobs" are likely not permanent nor paying a living wage. But even if they were, unemployment would still be God-awful, since the labor force is still growing faster than new jobs.
I would also vote for Robert Reich for President in a heartbeat, but I would be more than happy to have him back as Secretary of Labor, if we still have a Labor Department and the right wing didn't abolish it (why have a labor department when we are not going to allow anyone to work, after all).
I truly don't think the 1% does see anything coming. They think they are invincible and invulnerable, that they can do anything because of their money. They will be so surprised when they end up on the guillotine! I doubt however that I well be alive to see it and say "I told you so."
To clarify your comment to others here. Gene made that comment to my post of this article on Care2. I agree.
Reich is right as usual. Social Security was not taxable income until REagan put it into effect. I saw a woman interviewed on Sixty Minutes tonight who works 57 hours a week at two part time jobs,but can't afford insurance. This week Fruit of the Loom announced it was closing its Ky plant and moving the jobs to Honduras. This has to stop.
Edie, Riech is not talking avout taxing benefits here. He's talking about the FICA witholding from folks' paychecks.
Thanks all!
Interesting comments. If you are a liberal, a democrat or just left leaning you have to acknowledge a man that has won the Nobel Prize for economics, has something to say. One of my favorite things about Reich is his ability to write about economics so the layman can understand. That's key to getting your message heard. I also like that he does not try to strike fear in the heart of his readers. Do this or….. Remember when the US was all about jobs and everyone having an equal opportunity? I miss those days.
Thanks TC.
I agree completely!!
I know for sure Robert Reich is the correct path, the economy was booming when he was labor secretary under President Clinton… 😆