"Words that make actions speak louder."
High in the Swiss Alps last week, the world’s rich and powerful took a crack at problem solving. But they came up short. The main reason: They are the problem. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin delivered the opening keynote address last week at the annual World Economic Forum high in Davos, Switzerland, before an elite […]
We all know about the greed and grasping at Wall Street’s failed giants. But the greed at ‘successful’ companies elsewhere in America is getting a free pass. President Barack Obama, in the opening moments of his eagerly awaited administration, last week reminded an entire world that “a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only […]
A high-ranking British Labor Party leader has just opened a bold new campaign for legislation that would obligate government, at all levels, to close the "class divide." The British Labor Party came to power a dozen years ago with a commitment to attack poverty — and a willingness to leave rich people alone. Britain’s rich […]
Beware of CEOs who feel your pain. These days, that’s not easy. They seem to be just about everywhere. With the economy in free-fall, CEOs all across the United States have begun waging a veritable empathy offensive. From Wall Street to America’s ultimate Main Street — in Peoria, Illinois — top execs are announcing what […]
Our current economic meltdown may finally have ended the era that began when Ronald Reagan became President. Now a new study — from the Congressional Budget Office — helps us understand the inequality that has us melting. Two days before Christmas, with hardly anyone at all paying much attention, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office delivered […]
Has any year ever showcased greed as dramatically as 2008? We sift through the avarice to bring you the lowlights — and a little hope for a less greedy 2009. This time of year always seems to bring a never-ending barrage of “top ten” lists. The year’s top ten movies, the top ten books, the […]
Lawmakers opposing the automaker bailout have been insisting they stand on “free enterprise” principles. Companies in the private sector, these legislators pronounce, should not be begging the public sector for help. And if private enterprises should go under without that help, so be it. “Companies fail every day and others take their place,” as Senator […]
‘Tis the season to be vetted — if you’re angling for a high-ranking post in the incoming Obama administration. Obama transition officials are currently quizzing hundreds of hopefuls, working to get them to reveal the deep, dark personal secrets that, if ever exposed, could create a distracting political embarrassment. Vetting, of course, has been going […]
All eyes this week will be on the return of the auto industry’s Big Three to Capitol Hill. No one knows for sure what will happen with the industry’s bailout request. But one thing seems certain: The Big Three’s CEOs couldn’t possibly give another performance as dreadfully disastrous as their appearance before Congress last month. […]
This hasn’t been a great fall for the brilliant, bright shining superstars who sit at the top of America’s economic ladder. Their genius suddenly seems suspect. From Wall Street to Silicon Valley to Hedge Fund America, the smart boys are reeling. Consider, for instance, Hank Paulson, our embattled U.S. secretary of the treasury. Paulson came […]