Ralph Waldo Emerson once told about a guest who came to dinner and spent the entire evening prattling about his own integrity: “The louder he talked of his honor,” Emerson wrote: “the faster we counted our spoons.” Continue reading
Question: What does a packet of M&M’s and your local veterinarian have in common? Answer: Both are owned by Mars Inc., the global candy monopolist. Continue reading
Here are two terms you don’t expect to see together: “The state of Alabama” and “progressive leader.” (Okay, I’m a Texan, so I have no standing to point at the rank regressiveness of any other state government… but still, Alabama?) Continue reading
Corporate ideologues never cease blathering that government programs should be run like a business. Continue reading
Is “corporate ethics” an oxymoron? Do you have to be a jerk to be a successful CEO? Is exploitation the only path to profit? Continue reading
Corporate acolytes and right-wing moralists constantly preach to laboring stiffs about the uplifting dignity of work. Continue reading
Corporate bosses across America have been sputtering in outrage at you working stiffs this summer, spewing expletives about the fact that while the U.S. economy has been coming back, you haven’t! Continue reading
America’s economic and political inequality has led workaday Americans to exclaim: “The system is broken. Let’s fix it!” Continue reading
If you’re a corporate employee, you know that something unpleasant is afoot when top executives are suddenly issuing statements about how committed they are to their employees, making sure that all of them are treated with dignity and respect. Continue reading
When I was a tyke, cowboy actors were marketed as role models for little backyard cowpokes like me. We could send off to get a certificate making us “Pals of the Saddle” or some such with Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, or others. Continue reading
Mega-investor Warren Buffett once held a big portfolio of daily and weekly newspapers. Continue reading
Herd immunity is important in stopping deadly viruses, but in politics the herd instinct can send a whole species over a cliff. Continue reading
Ralph Waldo Emerson told of a dinner guest who went on and on about the virtue of honesty, offering his own life as a model of perfect rectitude. “The louder he talked of his honor,” said Emerson, “the faster we counted our spoons.” Continue reading
Here’s a thought-provoking bumper sticker: “The system is fixed. We must break it.” Continue reading
At a recent congressional hearing on America’s so-called “labor shortage,” megabanker Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, offered this insight: “People actually have a lot of money, and they don’t particularly feel like going back to work.” Continue reading
Corporate ideologues never cease blathering that government programs should be run like a business. Continue reading
“Outrageous,” screeched the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “It doesn’t feel fair,” whimpered a top corporate executive. Continue reading
Not only are the rich different from you and me—they’re getting more different than ever. Continue reading
It’s tough being rich. For one thing, you have to be on constant alert to keep commoners from encroaching on your turf and upsetting your sense of proper social order. Continue reading
We’ve got the Academy Awards, the Emmys, and Grammys. But what should we call the award for the most extraordinary performance by a corporate profiteer? Continue reading
Oh great—here comes a new stealth attack on the fragile, life-sustaining natural resources of Planet Earth. This latest assault by Wall Street alchemists would redefine one of our most basic resources: water. Continue reading
It’s time for America to go back to the future—a future of true greatness created by a people united to build a strong nation for the common good. Continue reading
After looking into one of their main issues, I have to agree with Republicans: Our elections are being rigged. Continue reading
The past year proves that a lot of conventional economic wisdom is neither true nor wise. Continue reading
There is a weasel word that politicians use whenever something goes wrong on their watch: “unacceptable.” Continue reading
We can’t just settle for disinfecting the White House after four-years of Trump. A fundamental, structural rebuild is necessary, including on health care, immigration, the environment, civil rights, labor law, and infrastructure. Continue reading
What is it about billionaires and multimillionaires that make them so clueless about the impacts of their greed? Continue reading
The Democratic Party establishment is now issuing a go-slow warning to the new president they backed. Continue reading
What do your toothbrush and your running shoes have in common? Plastic. Continue reading
Much to the embarrassment of major corporations, their political donations were traced to the mayhem of January 6. Continue reading
What’s wrong with people? Has the savagery, selfishness, and raw, animal hatred within the human species finally come out of the darkness to devour our society? Continue reading
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What’s being compromised?
In any policy fight, it’s never the priorities of the wealthy that are compromised—it’s working and middle-class Americans who are.
Posted on November 18, 2021 by Jim Hightower
Sometimes, when watching Congress in action, I can’t decide whether to laugh, cry, or check myself into an insane asylum. Continue reading →