Robert B. Reich's Blog, page 98

The Disease of American Democracy

Americans are sick of politics. Only 13 percent approve of the job Congress is doing, a near record...

The Rebirth of Stakeholder Capitalism?

In recent weeks, the managers, employees, and customers of a New England chain of supermarkets...

Work and Worth

What someone is paid has little or no relationship to what their work is worth to society. 
Does...

The Increasing Irrelevance of Corporate Nationality

“You shouldn’t get to call yourself an American company only when you want a handout from the...

The Rise of the Non-Working Rich

In a new Pew poll, more than three quarters of self-described conservatives believe “poor...

The Limits of Corporate Citizenship: Why Walgreen Shouldn't Be Allowed to Influence U.S. Politics If It Becomes Swiss

Dozens of big U.S. corporations are considering leaving the United States in order to reduce their...

THE POLITICS AND ECONOMICS OF INEQUALITY: A LECTURE TO THE TOP...

THE POLITICS AND ECONOMICS OF INEQUALITY: A LECTURE TO THE TOP ONE-TENTH OF 1 PERCENT

Here’s the Aspen Lecture I gave recently at this year’s Aspen Ideas Festival. The irony of talking about inequality with an audience composed almost entirely of the richest one-tenth of 1 percent of Americans was not lost on me. When I suggested that we return to the 70 percent income-tax rate on top incomes that prevailed before 1981, many looked as if I had punched them in the gut.

But I stressed it’s not a zero-sum game, and they’d do better with a smaller share of a rapidly-growing economy — growing because the vast middle class and the poor had the purchasing power to get the economy back on track — than they’re doing with a large share of an economy that’s barely growing at all.

It’s crucial that America’s most powerful and privileged understand what’s happening, and why they must support fundamental reform.

ASPEN IDEAS FESTIVAL LECTURE ON INEQUALITYHere’s the...

ASPEN IDEAS FESTIVAL LECTURE ON INEQUALITY

Here’s the Aspen Lecture I gave recently at this year’s Aspen Ideas Festival. The irony of talking about inequality with an audience composed almost entirely of the richest one-tenth of 1 percent of Americans was not lost on me. When I suggested that we return to the 70 percent income-tax rate on top incomes that prevailed before 1981, many looked as if I had punched them in the gut.

But I stressed it’s not a zero-sum game, and they’d do better with a smaller share of a rapidly-growing economy — growing because the vast middle class and the poor had the purchasing power to get the economy back on track — than they’re doing with a large share of an economy that’s barely growing at all.

It’s crucial that America’s most powerful and privileged understand what’s happening, and why they must support fundamental reform.

Freedom, Power, and the Conservative Mind

On Monday the Supreme Court struck down a key part of the Affordable Care Act, ruling that...

Hillary's Hardest Choice (and the Democrat's Dilemma)

What’s the reason for the tempest in the teapot of Hillary and Bill Clinton’s personal...