The corporate takeover of American politics started with a man and a memo you’ve probably never heard of. Continue reading
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Author Archives: Robert Reich
Does Elon musk have a right to destroy Twitter?
You break it, you own it. That’s what I was told as a child. But for today’s billionaires, it seems like the opposite is true. Continue reading
The Fed’s inflation mistake continues
The Federal Reserve has been hellbent on raising interest rates to slow the economy. It’s a huge mistake. Continue reading
This one thing may stop Trump from running for re-election
Far-right politicians are dragging America back to the 19th century. Continue reading
Big midterm victories that give me hope for the future
While it’s still too soon to know the full results of the midterms, there were some major victories on Tuesday night that spanned the entire country. Continue reading
3 lies Republicans are using this election
It’s not just the Big Lie. Republicans are telling three other lies they hope will swing the midterms. Continue reading
The one thing to know before you vote
Many of the biggest issues affecting our day-to-day lives are determined by state and local officials who are running for office down here—as well as ballot measures. Continue reading
Why the window to prosecute Trump is closing
Donald Trump is not above the law. He must be prosecuted—to preserve what’s left of our democracy. Continue reading
Sick of Manchin and Sinema’s power trip?
Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are on a power trip, but we can make them irrelevant after this year’s election. Continue reading
The real reason teachers are quitting
There’s a war being waged on America’s teachers, and we must stand up for them before it’s too late. Continue reading
How Republicans could steal the next presidential election
The latest Republican plot to sabotage our elections could remove American voters from the process of selecting their president. Continue reading
Is crypto really going to crash? (Yes)
Crypto is going to crash and could take your savings with it. Continue reading
You are being lied to about the IRS
The IRS is set to receive its largest funding increase in years thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. Continue reading
The real motive behind the GOP’s “culture war”
Why do Putin and the Republican Party sound so much alike? Simple: Their culture wars have similar agendas. Continue reading
A never-before FBI raid on a former president who is like no other
We have only one bulwark against this menace. It is called the rule of law.
“Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before,” Donald Trump raged Monday evening after FBI agents searched his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, and broke open a safe, apparently looking for documents that Trump illegally took from the White House. Continue reading
How Amazon, Starbucks, and other companies fight unions
You as a worker have a legal right to join a union, but there are many ways big corporations are skirting the law to stop you from getting your fair share. You could be working for a union-buster and not even know it. Continue reading
The secret to the GOP’s assault on your rights
Democracy is not just under attack in America. In some states, it’s being lost. Continue reading
4 myths about raising the minimum wage
The federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour has not been raised since 2009. That’s the longest period without an increase since the minimum wage was enacted, meaning today’s minimum wage is actually worth far less than it was in 2009. Continue reading
How Joe Biden can help workers without Congress
Did you know Joe Biden can help American workers right now, even without Congress? He can sign three executive orders, affecting a fifth of the economy and transforming millions of workers’ lives. Continue reading
How corporations are using inflation to take your money
Corporations are using inflation as an excuse to raise their prices, hurting workers and consumers while they enjoy record profits.
The real reason Congress gets nothing done
Why doesn’t Congress get anything done? Well, one chamber actually does. Hundreds of bills have been passed by the House of Representatives, but have been blocked from even getting a vote in the Senate. Continue reading
How the Supreme Court could make your life more dangerous
Your life could get a lot more dangerous. Republican appointees on the Supreme Court seem poised to strip away basic safety standards for our workplaces, our food, our air and water. Continue reading
Amazon workers’ astounding win, and how corporate America is trying to take back power
On Friday, April 1, Amazon—America’s wealthiest, most powerful, and fiercest anti-union corporation, with the second-largest workforce in the nation (union-busting Walmart being the largest), lost out to a group of warehouse workers in New York who voted to form a union. Continue reading
How we stop a gerrymandering catastrophe
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s ruling and allowed Alabama’s egregious gerrymandered Congressional map to remain in place. Continue reading
The hidden link between corporate greed and inflation
Inflation! Inflation! Everyone’s talking about it, but ignoring one of its biggest causes: corporate concentration. Continue reading
Putin and Trump have convinced me i was wrong about the 21st century
I used to believe several things about the twenty-first century that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Donald Trump’s election in 2016 have shown me are false. Continue reading
The Fed is about to shaft American workers—for no good reason
The January jobs report from the Labor Department is heightening fears that a so-called “tight” labor market is fueling inflation, and therefore the Fed must put on the brakes by raising interest rates. Continue reading
How to get teenagers to read important books? Ban them.
When I was a young teenager near the middle of the last century, I asked the high school librarian if I could borrow J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Why did I want to read it? she asked. I lied and told her my parents told me it was excellent literature. Continue reading
Can Congress really use insider information to trade stocks?
Members of Congress use privileged information to make money on the stock market, while they’re supposed to be working for you. Make no mistake, it’s legalized corruption. Continue reading
Want to understand Manchin and Sinema?
What can possibly explain Manchin’s and Sinema’s votes against voting rights last Wednesday? Why did they create a false narrative that the legislation had to be “bipartisan” when everyone—themselves included—knew bipartisanship was impossible? Continue reading
Corporate seditionists are no better than the seditionists who attacked the Capitol
Capitalism and democracy are compatible only if democracy is in the driver’s seat. Continue reading
Do we really need more stuff?
A proposal for a recycled economy
Posted on December 7, 2022 by Robert Reich
‘Tis the time to do our gift-buying for the holidays—and fill every recipient’s shelves and closets with more stuff. I wrote some of this last year at around this time, but so many of you suggested I do so again that I saw the wisdom of a bit of recycling today. Continue reading →