The bizarre optimism in Donald Trump’s theory of the economy

Trump appears to blend economic conspiracy theories with magical-thinking accounting: Stocks are a bubble inflated by "easy money"; government regulators have taken control of banks and choked off lending to everyone but the rich; the "real" unemployment rate is closer to 20 percent than 5 percent, and his crowd sizes prove it; cutting taxes and renegotiating the terms of trade will reinvigorate the economy and the middle class and somehow pay off the federal debt within eight years...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/04/02/the-bizarre-optimism-in-donald-trumps-theory-of-the-economy/

What's a 702(j) retirement plan? Should you get one?

A 702(j) plan is not actually a retirement plan at all; it's a life insurance contract. But the idea of using it to supplement retirement income isn't new.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Saving-Money/2016/0227/What-s-a-702-j-retirement-plan-Should-you-get-one

Mohamed El-Erian On The Next Crash (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Mohamed El-Erian has overseen the investment of billions, trillons of dollars. Now he’s looking out on the global economy and sees trouble. Since the crash of ’08, central banks like the Fed have propped things up. Political leaders have failed to lead on underlying problems. And soon, says El-Erian, things are going to have to be really fixed or fall apart. Infrastructure, inequality, education. Fix them or watch out, he says. This hour On Point: Mohamed El-Erain on the road ahead right now. — Tom Ashbrook
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2016/02/16/economic-market-crash-prediction

The U.S. Economy Without Undocumented Workers (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Lots of talk about building a wall in the Republican presidential primary. And from Donald Trump and sometimes more, about shipping out undocumented workers. By the millions. What would the American economy look like if that came to pass? “Get tough” Arizona may tell us. Undocumented worker numbers are down 40 percent in Arizona. How has that worked out? This hour On Point, the Arizona story. When undocumented workers go away. — Tom Ashbrook
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2016/02/17/us-economy-without-undocumented-workers

A Trump Presidency Would Be As Bad For The World's Economy As Islamist Militancy, Analysts Say | ThinkProgress

The Economist Intelligence Unit warned of a “trade war” with China and Mexico and said that the election of Trump “would be a potent recruitment tool for jihadi groups,” although its analysts made clear that they do not expect Trump to win the presidency...
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2016/03/17/3761537/trump-economy/

Our Four-Decade Antitrust Experiment Has Failed

We'd be better off returning to an older, cruder rule: ensuring that there are plenty of competitors in every market and refusing to allow any single company to become too dominant...
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/03/our-four-decade-antitrust-experiment-has-failed

Economy Adds 242,000 Jobs In February, Unemployment Remains At 4.9 Percent

The U.S. economy grew by 242,000 jobs in February, while the unemployment rate remained at 4.9 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/february-2016-jobs-report

"We Must & Can Aim High": Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich on Endorsing Bernie Sanders

We speak with Robert Reich, the former labor secretary under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997, about his decision to formally endorse Senator Bernie Sanders for president on the Democratic ticket. "What worries me about other candidates, particularly Hillary Clinton, is that the message seems to be we cannot aim high, or we must not be ambitious, we must not try to be bold, because we can’t get there. That, to me, is exactly the wrong message," Reich says. "In terms of mobilizing Americans and organizing and getting the kind of response we need from Americans to push Congress, to change Congress, to get a government that is responsible for us, the message should be we must and can aim high. We can do it. And we’ve done it before in this country." This comes as four top economists and former advisers for Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have issued an open letter to Senator Sanders criticizing his economic platform. Reich is the author of many books, mostly recently, "Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few."
Interview:
Part 1:
https://youtu.be/ZjYdmILv4fs

Part 2:
https://youtu.be/_byv_6MlmgM

Robert Reich: Dear GOP Establishment, Brace for a Painful Reckoning With the Reality You Created | Alternet

Republican politicians in particular have descended into the muck of bigotry, hatefulness and lies...
http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/robert-reich-dear-gop-establishment-brace-reckoning-reality-you-created

Who is Killing American Manufacturing?

"They should shouting from rooftops, “No TPP!” For the love of American manufacturing, they should be yelling bloody murder."
http://www.industryweek.com/workforce/who-killing-american-manufacturing

Paul Krugman: Why GOP Establishment Darling Marco Rubio Is Actually a Fringe Crackpot

"Rubio is pandering to an ignorant elite..."
http://www.alternet.org/economy/paul-krugman-why-gop-establishment-darling-marco-rubio-actually-fringe-crackpot

On Second Thought, Maybe Bernie Sanders' Growth Claims Aren't As Crazy As I Thought

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/02/second-thought-maybe-bernie-sanders-growth-claims-arent-crazy-i-thought

Sanders to UAW crowd in Dearborn: 'We need fair trade'

Bernie Sanders tells cheering crowd in Dearborn: If we can rebuild villages in Iraq and Afghanistan, we can rebuild Flint.
http://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/15/sanders-uaw-crowd-dearborn-we-need-fair-trade/80416440/

More Americans Should Be Working

Despite job gains over the past few years, then, the labor market in the U.S. seems to be malfunctioning in a way that labor markets in other rich countries aren't...
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2016-02-18/more-americans-should-be-working

Report: TPP Would Ravage The U.S. Economy

A new study into the economic repercussions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership has concluded that, as predicted, the deal will have a huge negative impact on the U.S. economy. America’s Lawyer, Mike Papantonio, and Farron Cousins discuss this on Ring of Fire on Free Speech TV.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/SFREEuqw0Gk

Arizona Is Paying a High Price for Cracking Down on Illegal Immigration

Arizona is a test case of what happens to an economy when such migrants leave, and it illustrates the economic tensions fueling the immigration debate...
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/02/arizona-paying-high-price-cracking-down-illegal-immigration

Lori Wallach: Signing of TPP Marks Only Beginning of the Fight, Trade Deal Could Still Be Stopped

One of the world’s biggest multinational trade deals, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, has been signed by 12 member nations in New Zealand and will now undergo a two-year ratification period in which at least six countries must approve the final text for the deal to be implemented. The Trans-Pacific Partnership encompasses 12 Pacific Rim nations, including the United States, and 40 percent of the world’s economy. Opponents say it will benefit corporations at the expense of health, the environment, free speech and labor rights. Activists have kicked off a worldwide series of protests around the signing of the trade pact, including a nonviolent blockade of the convention center in Auckland where the signing took place. A Maori tribe refused a request to perform at a welcome ceremony for trade ministers, saying the TPP threatens sovereignty. Meanwhile, the White House has warned Congress that a delay in ratifying the deal will cost the U.S. economy. Trade Representative Michael Froman said the Obama administration is doing everything in its power to move it forward. But our guest, Lori Wallach of Public Citizen, argues, "We have to make sure every member of Congress says there’s no way, we’re not meant to do this." The deal has also become a campaign issue, and Wallach notes, "There’s no presidential candidate in any state polling over 5 percent who supports the TPP."
Interview:
https://youtu.be/jwOVc-ifyic

Leaked Documents Undermine Official Story Of Flint Water Crisis | ThinkProgress

...But an email obtained by the Bill Johnson group and first reported by Motor City Muckraker suggests that the move might not have been necessary to reduce Flint’s water costs. Then-Detroit Water and Sewerage Department Director Sue McCormick proposed to continue providing water to Flint at a savings of $800 million over 30 years, or 20 percent less than the switch. In other words, Flint could have kept the Detroit water and still saved more money than it did. A spokeswoman for McCormick confirmed the email and reporting to ThinkProgress on Monday...
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2016/01/25/3742625/documents-michigan-contradict-flint-narrative-snyder/

What Trump, Cruz and the GOP Field Won’t Tell You About Reaganomics

We know the results of Reagan's tax and spending policies. So why do GOP presidential candidates keep pushing them?
http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/what-trump-cruz-and-gop-field-wont-tell-you-about-reaganomics

Could a GM worker afford college tuition on just two weeks' work in 1965?

"Fifty years ago, the average GM employee could pay for a year of a son or daughter’s college tuition on just two weeks wages."
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jan/25/martin-omalley/could-gm-worker-afford-college-tuition-just-two-we/