Robert Reich

New York Times I do not believe that it is politically feasible to insulate such huge funds from a governmental direction,” Alan Greenspan told the House Ways and Means Committee last week, one day after President Clinton proposed investing a portion of Social Security funds in the stock market. Mr. Greenspan was equally forthright in […]

The Wall Street Journal As America mobilizes for war, Washington must think more clearly about what it wants from American industry. K Street is ablaze with proposed subsidies, loan guarantees, tax breaks, and regulatory relief for industries termed “vital” to the anti-terrorist effort. In war-fevered Washington, politicians of all stripes may be too eager to […]

The Los Angeles Times Not since World War II have Americans felt so unified. We’re fighting a war against terrorism and we’re fighting to get the economy moving again. And we’re all in this together. Except when it comes to paying the bill. The cost of the war on terrorism since Sept. 11 is estimated […]

Broadcast April 12, 2001 The biggest drag on this economy — easily two-thirds of the current slowdown — comes from the huge drop in business investment. I mean, we re talking about Niagara Falls here. The first quarter last year, business spending was rocketing at an annual rate of more than 20 percent over the […]

Broadcast July 5, 2001 In previous slowdowns, unemployment has reached 7, 8, 9 percent. But we’re nowhere near those levels, and we’re not likely to be even if this slowdown slides into a full-fledged recession. So what’s going on? Here’s a hint. In the old days–that is, before 1990–most Americans held steady jobs with steady […]

Broadcast Oct 25, 2001 It’s one thing for the government to give the airline industry $5 billion without strings. More than the market value of the five major airlines put together, and $10 billion in guaranteed loans. The bailout makes almost no economic sense. I mean, even if an airline went bankrupt, the planes and […]

The Washington Post A growing chorus is telling Americans that one of the best ways to demonstrate that the nation won’t be cowed by terrorism is to continue to buy shares of stock and retail goods. Vice President Cheney said he hoped Americans would “stick their thumb in the eye of the terrorists and . […]

The L.A. Times The American economy is so hot that Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, is worried it’s overheating. Dot-com billionaires are blooming like spring crocuses. The average pay of chief executives of major companies rose 18% in 1999 to $12 million. Across the managerial, professional and executive ranks of the United […]

The New York Times CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The old industrial struggle was between companies and workers. The new struggle is between . . . companies and workers. But the battle isn’t what it used to be. Now, it’s over who’s going to spend enough to keep the economy moving forward. The crunch will come if […]