Friday Extravaganza: Econ News (and background) and Garden Dreams

Dear Obama Group:

To make amends for missing my spot last Friday (not a good day for me), I am going to offer some background information on one of our central areas of interest as well as cover some worthy “breaking” news.

I’d like to begin by drawing your attention to the Bill Moyers interview with William Greider to be broadcast starting this evening. The topic of conversation is the state of the economy and what is to be done about it. Greider, the national affairs correspondent for the Nation, has been a perceptive critic of financialization for years; in conversation with Moyers, I expect pretty solid results. Here’s the teaser at Moyers’ site, with a link to find broadcast times depending on your preferred station.

There's some good news, potentially, regarding the single-payer health care option is the bill that Senator Bernie Sanders introduced yesterday. You can check out the details here, via one of the front-pagers on “Physicians for a National Health Program.” (This looks like a promising site to follow regarding this subject.)

Here in Michigan our lobbying task is clear, and not as easy as we might like. Recently, Senator Levin has given indications that he is casting his lot more definitely with the so-called “blue dogs” within the party. It is going to be important for us to keep as much pressure on both Levin and Stabenow to seize the moment and not shrink from the opportunity for fundamental transformation. Time for a New New Deal indeed.

One topic, especially at this time of year, unites all three of our issues: food production, or more modestly, gardening. (I am looking forward myself to planting a garden for the first time in over five years. Hooray for dirt, seeds, rain, and sunshine!) Does the White House garden truly presage development beyond the national obsession with “the lawn”? I, along with Ellen Goodman, sincerely hope it does.

Now for some background information.

I am excited to be having Tom Weisskopf come to our meeting on Sunday. (Thank you, whoever arranged for that!) He’s been a contributor to Dollars and Sense, a journal of progressive economics, for many years. I recommend that you take a look at some of his recent posts (last October) regarding his position on the emerging crisis if you have a chance. That site will also provide links for you to check out more on the subject by others affiliated with the journal.

For other analysis of the situation (which may or may not be compatible with Weisskopf’s; I confess I do not know enough to say yet), I recommend taking a look at this new article by Simon Johnson, based in part on his direct experience as the chief economist at the IMF. From what I’ve gleaned so far, Johnson’s position is pretty close to Greider’s—at least in terms of causal factors and core problems. I am not sure yet whether they agree on the best remedies. Johnson has been a featured commentator at talkingpointsmemo for the last few weeks, and he seems to have a well-founded argument.

Lastly, as we probably all know, the unemployment rate in Michigan is now officially the worst in the country. I expect to be part of that number, officially, sometime during the summer since I learned last Friday that my teaching contract won’t be renewed for the fall. On the one hand, that will give me more organizing time; on the other—well, you know. So, please keep a good thought for me over the next while, if you don’t mind!