Political Affairs
Jul 19, 2015 Expand Social Security; create jobs for youth
Passing the Employ Young Americans Now Act (S.1506) would be an important step in the fight to preserve and expand Social Security.
Sept 1, 2014 Art Perlo on Thomas Piketty: A Balanced Marxist Analysis by Norman Markowitz
It is very rare that a scholarly work, particularly one filled with statistical data, becomes a best seller, but Capital in the 21st Century by French Economist Thomas Piketty has become that in much of the world.
Dec 10, 2012 Cliff Notes -- No Grand Bargain on the backs of the Working Class
We are facing a critical battle. The so-called fiscal cliff, and the possibility of a grand bargain to avoid it, can be a turning point.
Jun 13, 2012 Austerity and the Economic Crisis
We meet as the European economy is spiraling down into chaos. The devastation in Greece has been likened to living under occupation in WWII. Spain and Italy are heading toward financial crisis. Increasingly, the question is not whether, but how long until the Euro and the European Union collapse or are significantly weakened.
Feb 13, 2012 The US Economic Situation and the 2012 elections The US Economic Situation and the 2012 elections
High unemployment and slow growth are still the dominant features of the US economy. Growth during 2011 has been at a very slow pace, and slightly improved Q4 figures just released are likely due to temporary factors.
Apr 22, 2010 African Americans and the Jobs Crisis
The economic crisis has brought suffering to every part of the country and every section of the working class. As in past recessions, this crisis has fallen most heavily on communities already suffering, and particularly on people of color and immigrants.
Feb16, 2008 Recession, the Working Class, and Real Stimulus
For working people, the long-term trend in the US has been toward greater inequality in wages, less job security, fewer pensions, and fewer people with healthcare. All these long-term trends are being further aggravated by the economic crisis the country is currently going through. How does this crisis manifest itself?
Nov 29, 2007 The Housing Crisis and the Economy: Interview with Art Perlo
PA: Could you briefly describe some of the basic causes of the current housing crisis?
Art Perlo: There are two basic, interrelated causes: sub-prime mortgages and the unprecedented bubble in housing prices.
Sep 20, 2007 The Economic Impact of the Housing Crisis: an Interview with Art Perlo
You might ask how a lender could possibly make money by selling mortgages to people who couldn’t afford to pay them back. The answer is that the lender would sell off these mortgages to a bigger lender, and the bigger lender would package them into what they called “mortgage-backed securities,” and sell them to investors and pension funds – anybody who was looking to make what they thought was a secure investment.
Oct 8, 2006 Social Security and the November elections
George Bush is getting set for another attempt to raid Social Security by deliberately and falsely connecting the retirement program with the crisis facing health care in the U.S.