Feb. 12, 2019 – “America will never be a socialist country,” Donald Trump declared in his State of the Union address. Someone should alert Trump that America is now a hotbed of socialism. But it is socialism for the rich. Everyone else is treated to harsh capitalism. In the conservative mind, socialism means getting something for doing nothing. That […]
Robert Reich
Robert Reich: The State of Our Disunion
Feb. 4, 2019 – Donald Trump says his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening will be about “unification”. But Trump discussing the state of the union is like pyromaniac discussing lighter fluids. His goal is, and has always been, disunion. The man thrives on divisiveness. It’s how he keeps himself the center of […]
Robert Reich: A Survival Guide to Two More Years (VIDEO)
Jan. 29, 2019 – It’s doubtful he’ll be leaving anytime soon. Even an impeachment will drag out for a long time. Here are 7 suggestions for what to do to survive in the meantime: 1. Don’t pay attention to what he says. Pay attention to what he does. Disregard the ridicule, name-calling, threats, personal attacks, […]
Robert Reich: The Trump Dictatorship
Jan. 14, 2019 – The only redeeming aspect to Trump’s presidency is he brings us back to basics. And what could be more basic than the difference between democracy and dictatorship? Democracy is about means, not ends. If we all agreed on the ends (such as whether to build a wall along the Mexican border) there’d […]
Robert Reich: America’s New Year’s Resolution: Remove Trump
January 1, 2019 – After his first bizarre year, his apologists told us he was growing into the job and that in his second year he’d be more restrained and respectful of democratic institutions. Wrong. He’s been worse. Exhibit one: the “Wall.” After torpedoing Mitch McConnell’s temporary spending deal to avert a shutdown, he’s holding hostage […]
Robert Reich: The Megalomaniac and the Stock Market
Dec. 24, 2018 – Trump doesn’t want the public to think the stock market has tanked because of Trump’s government shutdown, his trade war with China, and the $1.9 trillion increase in the nation’s debt caused by his tax cut for corporations and the wealthy. (Actually, these are the major reasons for the market’s drop.) […]
Robert Reich: Trump Takes on General Motors (And Guess Who Wins?)
December 6, 2018 – Donald Trump’s “America first” economic nationalism is finally crashing into the reality of America’s shareholder-first global capitalism. Last week, General Motors announced it would cut about 14,000 jobs, most of them in the politically vital swing states of Michigan and Ohio. This doesn’t quite square with the giant $1.5 trillion tax […]
Robert Reich: Trump’s 30 Broken Promises (VIDEO)
Nov. 1, 2018 – Trump voters: Two years in, here’s an updated list of Trump’s 30 biggest broken promises. 1. He told you he’d cut your taxes, and that the super-rich like him would pay more. You bought it. But his 2017 tax law has done the opposite. By 2027, according to the nonpartisan Tax […]
Robert Reich: Hate Unbound
Oct. 30, 2018 – Demagogues rarely commit violence directly. Instead, they use blame, ridicule, fear and hate – and then leave the violence to others. That way, they can always claim “it wasn’t me. I don’t have blood on my hands.” Of the tens of millions of Americans that the Trump-Fox News regime has made […]
Robert Reich: Trump Is America’s Most Dangerous Export (VIDEO)
Oct. 16, 2018 – Donald Trump is not only undermining democracy here at home, but he’s also emboldening dangerous authoritarian movements around the world. Trump’s presidency has become America’s most dangerous export. FIRST: Trump has provided cover for authoritarian leaders around the world who are actively attacking the media and suppressing the truth to entrench […]
Robert Reich: Living in a New Gilded Age
Oct. 12, 2018 – The Trump Justice Department has approved a $69 billion merger between CVS, the nation’s largest drugstore chain, and insurance giant Aetna. It’s the largest health insurance deal in history. Executives say the combination will make their companies more efficient, allowing them to gain economies of scale and squeeze waste out of the system. […]
Robert Reich: America’s Bullies
October 1, 2018 – As a kid I was always a head shorter than other boys, which meant I was bullied – mocked, threatened, sometimes assaulted. Childhood bullying has been going on forever. But in recent years America has become a culture of bullying – the wealthier over the poorer, CEOs over workers, those with privilege […]
Robert Reich: Why I’m Betting on Millennials, this November 6th
Sept. 24, 2018 – Millennials (and their younger siblings, generation Z’s) are the largest, most diverse and progressive group of potential voters in American history, comprising fully 30 percent of the voting age population. On November 6th, they’ll have the power to alter the course of American politics – flipping Congress, changing the leadership of […]
Robert Reich: Three reasons why reducing capital gains taxes would be another tax scam for the rich (VIDEO)
Sept. 21, 2018 – Hard to believe, but the Trump administration is proposing yet another massive tax windfall for the rich. It would be to reduce their capital gains taxes. Those are taxes on the increased value of their stocks and bonds, businesses, and other valuables, when they sell them. Trump would do this by […]
Robert Reich: The Three Big Lessons We Didn’t Learn from the Economic Crisis
Sept. 17, 2018 – Ten years ago, after making piles of money gambling with other people’s money, Wall Street nearly imploded, and the outgoing George W. Bush and incoming Obama administrations bailed out the bankers. America should have learned three big lessons from the crisis. We didn’t, to our continuing peril. First unlearned lesson: Banking […]
Robert Reich: The Next Crash
Sept. 3, 2018 – September 15 will mark the tenth anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers and near meltdown of Wall Street, followed by the Great Recession. Since hitting bottom in 2009, the economy has grown steadily, the stock market has soared, and corporate profits have ballooned. But most Americans are still living in […]
Robert Reich: Don’t Just Impeach Trump. Annul His Presidency
Aug. 27, 2018 – The only way I see the end of Trump is if there’s overwhelming evidence he rigged the 2016 election. In which case impeachment isn’t an adequate remedy. His presidency should be annulled. Let me explain. Many people are convinced we’re already witnessing the beginning of the end of Trump. In their […]
Robert Reich: How Trump’s War on Regulation is Trickle-Down Economics
Aug. 13, 2018 – When Trump’s not blaming foreigners for everything that ails America, he’s blaming regulations. Last week he even blamed regulations for the wildfires now ravaging California. They’re “made so much worse,” he tweeted, “by the bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amount[s] of readily available water to be properly utilized.” I […]
Robert Reich: 6 Reasons for Hope in Trump Times (VIDEO)
July 28, 2018 – In these darkest of days, here’s what gives me hope: First, Donald Trump has been a giant wake-up call that we can’t take democracy for granted. The young people of America get this. I’ve been teaching for 40 years and I don’t recall a generation as committed to social justice, reforming […]
Robert Reich: 7 Truths About Immigration (VIDEO)
July 16, 2018 – 1. A record high of 75 percent of Americans now say immigration is a “good thing” for the country. 2. America needs more immigrants, not fewer, because our population is rapidly aging. 3. Historically, new immigrants have contributed more to society in taxes than they have taken from society in terms […]