Economy Topics

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Economy

Newest First | Oldest First
  • Seg1

    While Obama Touts Compromise with GOP, Progressive Lawmakers Unveil "People's Budget"

    In a televised address yesterday, President Obama set a goal of cutting the U.S. budget deficit by $4 trillion over the next 12 years. He countered Republican budget plans with what he said was a more balanced approach that relies in part on tax increases for the wealthy as well as on spending cuts. The Congressional Progressive Caucus meanwhile has unveiled an alternative plan called the "People’s Budget." We speak to Democratic Rep....
    Apr 14, 2011 | Story
  • Seg2

    Roundtable: Assessing Obama's Budget Plan & State of U.S. Economy with Author Thomas Frank, Rev. Jim Wallis, and Activist/Philosopher Grace Lee Boggs

    To discuss President Obama’s budget talk and the state of the American economy, we are joined by three guests: Thomas Frank, a columnist at Harper’s Magazine and the author of several books, including The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Ruined Government, Enriched Themselves, and Beggared the Nation; Rev. Jim Wallis, the founder of the Sojourners Community and editor of Sojourners magazine, who has been on a hunger fast since March...
    Apr 14, 2011 | Story
  • Seg4

    It's a Hoax: GE Does Not Plan to Return $3.2 Billion Tax Refund to U.S. Treasury

    The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that “General Electric announced it will repay its entire $3.2 billion tax refund to the U.S. Treasury on April 18." The company’s tax record has been in the spotlight since the New York Times reported it paid no federal incomes taxes last year despite earning $14.2 billion in worldwide profits. It turns out AP’s story was based on a press release that was actually written by members of the...
    Apr 14, 2011 | Story
  • Treasure-island

    Offshore Banking and Tax Havens Have Become Heart of Global Economy

    As millions of Americans prepare to file their income taxes ahead of Monday’s deadline, we look at how corporations and the wealthy use offshore banks and tax havens to avoid paying taxes and other governmental regulations. "Tax havens have grown so fast in the era of globalization, since the 1970s, that they are now right at the heart of the global economy and are absolutely huge," says our guest, British journalist Nicholas Shaxson....
    Apr 15, 2011 | Story
  • Rosner_morgenson

    “Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon”

    A prominent Wall Street analyst predicted this week that not a single top executive at Goldman Sachs will face criminal prosecution for the company’s role in causing the financial meltdown of 2008. “I think that there is a genuine sense out there that there are two sets of rules, one for big and powerful institutions that are deemed to be too politically interconnected or powerful to fail, and the rest of us, Main Street,” says our guest...
    Jun 02, 2011 | Story
  • Maharidge_button

    Dale Maharidge's Chronicles of Widely Ignored U.S. Working Poor Inspire Music of Bruce Springsteen

    Dale Maharidge, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, inspired Bruce Springsteen to write the songs "Youngstown" and "The New Timer" with his first book, "Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass.” Maharidge’s most recent book, "Someplace Like America: Tales from the New Great Depression," is a reported retrospective on his 30 years of covering the working poor and chronically unemployed....
    Jun 10, 2011 | Story

  • Sally Kohn: "Don't Believe the Hype About U.S. Debt"

    On August 2, the U.S. government is expected to reach its $14.3 trillion borrowing limit. Democrats want to curb the federal deficit by pushing for new taxes and eliminating many tax loopholes, while Republicans have called for steep spending reductions but no new taxes. For more, Democracy Now! spoke with Sally Kohn, author of a recent USA Today op-ed titled "Don’t Believe the Hype About U.S. Debt." [includes rush transcript]
    Jun 13, 2011 | Web Exclusive
  • Obama_button

    In Nod to Latino Voters, Obama Makes Historic Visit to Puerto Rico Ahead of 2012 Elections

    On Tuesday, President Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Puerto Rico in a half century. His trip underscored the growing importance that Puerto Ricans will play in the 2012 U.S. elections. Although Puerto Ricans living on the island cannot vote for president, there are about 4.6 million Puerto Ricans living in the 50 states, including an estimated 857,000 in the battleground state of Florida. We speak with University of Puerto...
    Jun 15, 2011 | Story
  • Athens_button

    Political Crisis in Greece Amidst Revolt Against Massive Budget Cuts and Tax Hikes

    Greece was rocked Wednesday by massive street protests and a strike of millions of workers against the government’s austerity plans. In response, embattled Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou announced he will reshuffle his cabinet to try to achieve consensus on how to address the country’s crippling debt crisis. The new austerity package for Greece includes $9.4 billion in tax hikes, doubling past measures agreed to with bailout...
    Jun 16, 2011 | Story
  • Kitty_piercy_button

    Citing Domestic Economic Crisis, U.S. Mayors Back Resolution to Redirect War Funds Home

    Mayors from cities nationwide have endorsed a resolution calling on Congress to end funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and instead spend the money at home. The measure from the U.S. Conference of Mayors was drafted and pushed through by the activist group CodePink. We speak with the resolution’s sponsor, Kitty Piercy, mayor of Eugene, Oregon. [includes rush transcript]
    Jun 23, 2011 | Story