Category Archives: The destruction of the middle class

Bill Black: Is it Cynical to Believe the System is Corrupt?

Bill Black presents evidence the system is corrupt and rigged against ordinary people – a sentiment with which a new poll shows many agree.

Judge Issues $572 Million Verdict Against J & J in Oklahoma Opioids Trial: Settlements to Follow?

Judge issues $572 million verdict in J&J opioids trial. Some settlements of multiple pending lawsuits will likely follow.

Wolf Richter: World Trade Skids for First Time Since Financial Crisis

Exports by China, Japan, and Eurozone under pressure — in part because of globally weak demand for new vehicles, which transcends the trade war.

Trump’s China Trade War Gaslighting: Will There Evah Be a Deal?

Why the US and China are likely to remain at loggerheads.

Italy’s Right-Wing Government Collapses – Will the Next One Be Better?

The odd marriage of Lega Nord and Five Star held up longer than expected, but Italy is about to get a new government. How might that work out?

The Fed Thinks the US Economy Is Fine. Do You?

Seeking reader input on the health of their economy.

Trump Never Had a Grand Strategy for China: They Were Just Tariff Tantrums

Trump’s tariff strategy is obviously incoherent, but other approaches like anti-trust to improve the US trade’s position are sorely wanting.

Is the So-Called “Manufacturing Renaissance” a Mirage?

38 manufacturing industries continue to decline and nine of 10 of these industries are the critical industries that are fundamental to the manufacturing process

A New Assessment of the Role of Offshoring in the Decline in US Manufacturing Employment

Offshoring killed American manufacturing jobs.

No, Productivity Does Not Explain Income

Why a widely-held view about productivity that is foundational to the claim that people are paid what they deserve does not hold up to scrutiny.

Bretton Woods Institutions: Enforcers, Not Saviours?

The two Bretton Woods institutions the have huge credibility deficits due to the policy conditionalities and advice they have dispensed to developing countries in recent decades.

Austerity Has Made People Less Prepared for a No Deal Brexit

The government says it’s preparing for a Brexit crash out. But ten years of spending cuts have made the people of Britain intensely vulnerable to economic shock.