Monthly Archives: March 2011

Welcome to “A Civil American Debate”

Posted on March 31, 2011 by

CONTENTS TOPICS - Go here for a “table of contents” listing the topics we address in this site.  Each topic is a hot link to a page where you can quickly access all of our posts on that topic.  All posts … Continue reading →

Posted in Welcome | 2 Comments

Some Recommended Books

Posted on March 31, 2011 by

 (Return to the Contents Topics page.) Here are books we are finding helpful: Robert B. Reich, “After-Shock: The Next Economy and America’s Future,” Knopf 2010 Barry C. Lynn, “Cornered: The New Monopoly Capitalism and the Economics of Destruction,” Wiley 2010 Naomi … Continue reading →

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Jeffrey Immelt (G.E.) and Jobs

Posted on March 31, 2011 by

(Return to the Contents Topics page.)             “The ‘science’ of economics … has become a form of madness, a dream of human imagination we mistake for a pattern of the world.  It is a path not merely to serfdom, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Corporations | Leave a comment

G.E.’s Latest M&A Activity

Posted on March 30, 2011 by

(Return to the Contents Topics page.) Here’s the report on G.E.’s M&A activity in today’s (3/29/11)  New York Times:             “General Electric announced plans Tuesday to spend $3.2 billion for a 90 percent stake in Converteam, a company based in Massy, France … Continue reading →

Posted in Corporations | Leave a comment

The Modern G.E.

Posted on March 30, 2011 by

(Return to the Contents Topics page.)             In recent posts we’ve been discussing the announcement four days ago by General Electric, America’s largest corporation, that it is paying no federal taxes this year, and that it has filed a $3.2 billion … Continue reading →

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G.E. and Corporate Tax Fairness

Posted on March 29, 2011 by

(Return to the Contents Topics page.)          Three days ago, I posted a comment on G.E.’s lack of any tax liability this year.  People are chagrined.  Some are noting wryly that this effectively means every American owes G.E. more than $10 for its tax credit.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Corporations, Taxation | Leave a comment

The “Reagan Destroyed the USSR” Myth

Posted on March 29, 2011 by

(Return to the Contents Topics page.)             In “The American Bad Dream” I described how troubled I had been during the Reagan Administration about the insane nuclear arms race, a race that did not (and could not) serve any legitimate military … Continue reading →

Posted in War and the Military | 1 Comment

Culture Wars: The Tribalism Problem

Posted on March 26, 2011 by

 (Return to the Contents Topics page.) I had something different in mind for my opening post here, but then H.Con.Res.274, the “In God We Trust” motto-reaffirmation bill, raised its snout. This congressional action at this time in our history seems … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | Leave a comment

The Mind-Set that Survived the Triangle-Shirtwaist Fire

Posted on March 26, 2011 by

(Return to the Contents Topics page.) by Harold Meyerson, The Washington Post, 3/22/11.           The seamstresses were just getting off work that Saturday, some of them singing a new popular song, “Every Little Movement (Has a Meaning of Its Own),” … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor & Unions | Leave a comment

GE Pays Zero Taxes

Posted on March 25, 2011 by

(Return to the Contents Topics page.) Here is the top story in today’s (3/25/11) New York Times, Dealbook:            “G.E. Avoids Paying Any Tax Last year, the nation’s largest corporation reported worldwide profits of $14.2 billion. Its American tax bill? None. … Continue reading →

Posted in Corporations, Taxation | 1 Comment