Robert Reich

Corporate executives have a duty to disobey government orders when they have reason to believe those orders are illegal or unconstitutional.

Wall Street executives have been smarter at creating schemes that have only appeared to create value, while keeping investors in the dark.

The government is now investigating why credit-rating agencies gave thumbs up for so long to securities backed by sub-prime mortgages. The answer is simple: Those credit-rating agencies are paid by the same institutions that sell the securities.

It’s naive to think corporations can or will sacrifice profits to fight climate change. Firms that go green to improve their public relations, or cut their costs are being smart — not virtuous.

Farm subsidies were supposed to be a temporary relief for small farmers during the Depression, but today they go mostly to big agribusinesses that hardly need them.

The strike shows we need to decouple health care from employment — businesses and workers would both benefit.

Even before Wall Street went bonkers, consumer debt was high and wages were dropping. But most middle-class folks didn’t have to face these facts because at least their homes were valuable.

Our infatuation with low-priced goods has blinded us to their effect on labor.