One fly in this ointment, maybe an entire UFO. The US economy isn't going down, it's booming like never before in recorded history (since 1800 anyway).
After 2 years of heavy investment, then a year of stealing employees from each other, industry achieved the worst possible nightmare, inexperienced workers on new and buggy machines with supervisors who didn't know the machines trying to train them.
This has changed a LOT. Most new machines and employees are reaching the "magic 18". It takes 18 months for new employees to become profitable. It takes 18 months for machines to lose all the bugs.
Productivity is soaring. We aren't seeing it - yet - but this is a steamroller about to head down the mountain. Look out, prosperity is about to prosper like never before.
The ability of Biden to nail every important economic booster continues to amaze me.
Nice article again Thom. Sadly, the lies, the greed, and the hate objectives of the oligarchs are winning. They are all dancing a jig on their profits and they have the media and pipeline prppaganda to blame it on Dems to regain control. Record profits for them=inflation for us.
Excellent reporting Thom. I appreciated how you brought in Krugman and Reich to bolster your argument - good work. I'm only left with the question of why? Why risk setting fire to the economy they depend on? Temporary benefits for sure, as you point out with their profits skyrocketing. Guess I'm suspicious they have some ulterior motive. I'm ripe for listening to the next economic "prophet" to come onto the scene and explain what their agenda is. I suspect it's a global agenda, but don't know enough about the global economy. I do know that Putin and Xi are working against it, whatever "it" is.
Vintage Hartmann. Thanks for this piece today and thanks for decades of similar bullseye reporting. It has influenced and empowered many others over the years to spead the word. And thanks for that, too.
What's the fix? Why don't you challenge us with that question? People like you and Krugman and Reich -- and Noam Chomsky,, John Perkins, Michael Moore, Robert Scheer, Jeremy Scahill, and others we could add to the list -- are so inciteful about what's wrong but no one has opened a space to say what we (we the people and not the government that we'd need to do an end-run around) might do. If I ran the country the first thing I'd deal with is getting a voice that would represent a body of thought that only gets delivered by individual gadflies and there isn't any real power in that.
Sure isn't hard to figure out the inflation rate compared to the 20%-50% increase in what we are paying at the pump, retail, and for rents. It's so "Thom" of you to think we need the history, world stats, and those pesky facts. We are gouge-able until we get a solid Senate majority, but corporate America's actions have not gone unnoticed in Congress. Ditto for real estate and rent.
For a nation that grew-up playing Monopoly, some Americans seem to forget only one person wins. Why are we doing all the work, so the 1% can "win"? So far they have also hogged the Get Out of Jail Free cards too.
In my view, Mr. Hartman's analysis is entirely correct: The cabal of large global corporations are now in charge, all thanks to the 50 years of Baby-Boomer voters paying attention mostly just to themselves, and not the next generation; the long-term consequences of allowing both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party hired hands who have been re-elected with circa 95% regularity each cycle to strip the US of its middle class is the behavior issue that need acknowledging.
No one wants to acknowledge that Bill Clinton and the Democrats gave away all the precious financial controls of the Wall Street gambling casino; this was the most damaging regulatory give-away since the melt-downs after 1933. And the Democratic party Elites did this. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/1999/11/bank-n01.html
So, again, in part, because the Democratic Party has chosen to allow itself to be guided by ultra-left urban voters it has lost the Middle US voter cohort. Psychologically, in a brilliant strategy, the Republican Party realized that the Covid attack on people's personal health was a terrific leverage. Mr. Biden's and the Democratic Party chose to align themselves with WHO and the Bill & Melinda Gates experimental approach that only served the pharmaceutical industry. Senators Durbin and Murray are continuing, in 2022 (https://redstate.com/diary/amandakathryn/2011/10/22/sen-durbins-attack-on-health-freedom-n214673), impacting how 150 million voters will go in November of 2022, with their long quest to strangle the alternative health approach that almost 50% of voters, rightly or wrongly, have chosen.
As a result of those identity problems of the Democratic Party, Mr. Kruger's assertions, along with Mr. Hartman's, may strip the Democrats of the Senate in November. And, unless the the Democratic Party finds a leader who can focus on common sense basics in 2024, they will lose that battle as well.
Think about it: 1. No one has a reliable pension anymore-Expand Social Security system, 2. No one has trust worthy medical care - adopt a compromise of EU and US national health that allows state choices, 3. Our young people are drowning in student debts - implement 100% forgiveness and adopt a 2-year National Service Program for ALL 18 year olds to get a free education.
The remainder National concerns are NOT on the survival scale of emotional concerns at all at this stage of US history. They can be addressed when we trust our government again, AND NEVER VOTE FOR ANY INCUMBENT POLITICIAN AGAIN. Please. And, of course, the cabal of large US and global corporations who own all the media outlets will sing the song that they want voters to sing. Let's see if our young voters www.commondreams.org can find a national center going forward.
Mr. Hartman citation:
So, is it really possible that our largest corporations and their leaders are ripping us all off and jacking up inflation on an ongoing basis just to stick it to the Democrats and hand the GOP the reins of power in 2022 and 2024?
Inflation, inflation, inflation is the opening chant on the main media on a daily basis. It's pounding of this issue has a big influence on voters of all stripes. Even NPR yaps repeatedly on this issue. Tom's analysis has to reach these levels to have any hopes of voters thinking rather than reacting to what inflation is all about. Easy answers are unfortunately what too many people like.
One fly in this ointment, maybe an entire UFO. The US economy isn't going down, it's booming like never before in recorded history (since 1800 anyway).
After 2 years of heavy investment, then a year of stealing employees from each other, industry achieved the worst possible nightmare, inexperienced workers on new and buggy machines with supervisors who didn't know the machines trying to train them.
This has changed a LOT. Most new machines and employees are reaching the "magic 18". It takes 18 months for new employees to become profitable. It takes 18 months for machines to lose all the bugs.
Productivity is soaring. We aren't seeing it - yet - but this is a steamroller about to head down the mountain. Look out, prosperity is about to prosper like never before.
The ability of Biden to nail every important economic booster continues to amaze me.
I suspect he's getting good advice.
Nice article again Thom. Sadly, the lies, the greed, and the hate objectives of the oligarchs are winning. They are all dancing a jig on their profits and they have the media and pipeline prppaganda to blame it on Dems to regain control. Record profits for them=inflation for us.
Excellent reporting Thom. I appreciated how you brought in Krugman and Reich to bolster your argument - good work. I'm only left with the question of why? Why risk setting fire to the economy they depend on? Temporary benefits for sure, as you point out with their profits skyrocketing. Guess I'm suspicious they have some ulterior motive. I'm ripe for listening to the next economic "prophet" to come onto the scene and explain what their agenda is. I suspect it's a global agenda, but don't know enough about the global economy. I do know that Putin and Xi are working against it, whatever "it" is.
Because they—the greedsters— don’t give a damn. They will always make out better than the people in the middle and the bottom.
Vintage Hartmann. Thanks for this piece today and thanks for decades of similar bullseye reporting. It has influenced and empowered many others over the years to spead the word. And thanks for that, too.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2004/01/19/how-a-theology-of-quot-free-markets-quot-destroyed-the-party-and-brought-calamity-the-the-nation/
What's the fix? Why don't you challenge us with that question? People like you and Krugman and Reich -- and Noam Chomsky,, John Perkins, Michael Moore, Robert Scheer, Jeremy Scahill, and others we could add to the list -- are so inciteful about what's wrong but no one has opened a space to say what we (we the people and not the government that we'd need to do an end-run around) might do. If I ran the country the first thing I'd deal with is getting a voice that would represent a body of thought that only gets delivered by individual gadflies and there isn't any real power in that.
You nailed it, perfect comment. Never mind what is wrong unless you fix it, and by YOU, I mean WE THE PEOPLE.
Well, DUH, people!
Sure isn't hard to figure out the inflation rate compared to the 20%-50% increase in what we are paying at the pump, retail, and for rents. It's so "Thom" of you to think we need the history, world stats, and those pesky facts. We are gouge-able until we get a solid Senate majority, but corporate America's actions have not gone unnoticed in Congress. Ditto for real estate and rent.
For a nation that grew-up playing Monopoly, some Americans seem to forget only one person wins. Why are we doing all the work, so the 1% can "win"? So far they have also hogged the Get Out of Jail Free cards too.
In my view, Mr. Hartman's analysis is entirely correct: The cabal of large global corporations are now in charge, all thanks to the 50 years of Baby-Boomer voters paying attention mostly just to themselves, and not the next generation; the long-term consequences of allowing both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party hired hands who have been re-elected with circa 95% regularity each cycle to strip the US of its middle class is the behavior issue that need acknowledging.
No one wants to acknowledge that Bill Clinton and the Democrats gave away all the precious financial controls of the Wall Street gambling casino; this was the most damaging regulatory give-away since the melt-downs after 1933. And the Democratic party Elites did this. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/1999/11/bank-n01.html
So, again, in part, because the Democratic Party has chosen to allow itself to be guided by ultra-left urban voters it has lost the Middle US voter cohort. Psychologically, in a brilliant strategy, the Republican Party realized that the Covid attack on people's personal health was a terrific leverage. Mr. Biden's and the Democratic Party chose to align themselves with WHO and the Bill & Melinda Gates experimental approach that only served the pharmaceutical industry. Senators Durbin and Murray are continuing, in 2022 (https://redstate.com/diary/amandakathryn/2011/10/22/sen-durbins-attack-on-health-freedom-n214673), impacting how 150 million voters will go in November of 2022, with their long quest to strangle the alternative health approach that almost 50% of voters, rightly or wrongly, have chosen.
As a result of those identity problems of the Democratic Party, Mr. Kruger's assertions, along with Mr. Hartman's, may strip the Democrats of the Senate in November. And, unless the the Democratic Party finds a leader who can focus on common sense basics in 2024, they will lose that battle as well.
Think about it: 1. No one has a reliable pension anymore-Expand Social Security system, 2. No one has trust worthy medical care - adopt a compromise of EU and US national health that allows state choices, 3. Our young people are drowning in student debts - implement 100% forgiveness and adopt a 2-year National Service Program for ALL 18 year olds to get a free education.
The remainder National concerns are NOT on the survival scale of emotional concerns at all at this stage of US history. They can be addressed when we trust our government again, AND NEVER VOTE FOR ANY INCUMBENT POLITICIAN AGAIN. Please. And, of course, the cabal of large US and global corporations who own all the media outlets will sing the song that they want voters to sing. Let's see if our young voters www.commondreams.org can find a national center going forward.
Mr. Hartman citation:
So, is it really possible that our largest corporations and their leaders are ripping us all off and jacking up inflation on an ongoing basis just to stick it to the Democrats and hand the GOP the reins of power in 2022 and 2024?
Inflation, inflation, inflation is the opening chant on the main media on a daily basis. It's pounding of this issue has a big influence on voters of all stripes. Even NPR yaps repeatedly on this issue. Tom's analysis has to reach these levels to have any hopes of voters thinking rather than reacting to what inflation is all about. Easy answers are unfortunately what too many people like.