Portside

REWIND - A Week of Quotes and Cartoons

SUNDAY

Quote of the Day
September 22,  2013

'First came the southern strategy, in which the
Republican elite cynically exploited racial backlash
to promote economic goals, mainly low taxes for rich
people and deregulation. Over time, this gradually
morphed into what we might call the crazy strategy,
in which the elite turned to exploiting the paranoia
that has always been a factor in American politics —
Hillary killed Vince Foster! Obama was born in
Kenya! Death panels! — to promote the same goals.

'But now we're in a third stage, where the elite has
lost control of the Frankenstein-like monster it
created.'

Economist Paul Krugman
New York Times
September 20, 2013
 

Toon of the Day

Makers and Takers
Mike Luckovich
 

MONDAY

'European governments repeat mistakes of the
Treaty of Versailles'

'It is essential to realize that if the European
authorities continue with policies of austerity and
rely on structural reforms alone to restore balance,
the fate of the euro will be sealed. The experience of
the single currency will come to an end with
repercussions on the continued existence of the
European single market. In the absence of
conditions for a reform of the financial system and a
monetary and fiscal policy making it possible to
develop a plan to revitalize public and private
investment, counter the inequalities of income and
between areas, and increase employment in the
peripheral countries of the Union, the political
decision makers will be left with nothing other than
a crucial choice of alternative ways out of the euro.'

Emiliano Brancaccio and Riccardo Realfonzo
(Sannio University, promoters of "the economists'
warning"), Philip Arestis (University of Cambridge),
Wendy Carlin (University College of London),
Giuseppe Fontana (Leeds and Sannio Universities),
James Galbraith (University of Texas), Mauro
Gallegati (Università Politecnica delle Marche),
Eckhard Hein (Berlin School of Economics and
Law), Alan Kirman (University of Aix-Marseille III),
Jan Kregel (University of Tallin), Heinz Kurz (Graz
University), Alfonso Palacio-Vera (Universidad
Complutense Madrid), Dimitri Papadimitriou (Levy
Economics Institute), Pascal Petit (Université de
Paris Nord), Dani Rodrik (Institute for Advanced
Study, Princeton), Willi Semmler (New School
University, New York), Engelbert Stockhammer
(Kingston University), Tony Thirlwall (University of
Kent).

...and also: Georgios Argeitis (Athens University),
Marcella Corsi (Sapienza University of Rome), Jesus
Ferreiro (University of the Basque Country), Malcolm
Sawyer (Leeds University), Sergio Rossi (University
of Fribourg), Francesco Saraceno (OFCE, Paris),
Felipe Serrano (University of the Basque Country),
Lefteris Tsoulfidis (University of Macedonia).

Financial Times
September 23, 2013
 

Toon of the Day

The New Economy
Jeff Danziger
 

TUESDAY

Quote of the Day
September 24, 2013

' This metropolis of nearly a million residents is the
third-largest city in California, home to tens of
thousands of technology industry workers, as well
as many thousands more struggling to get by. Yet
even here, in the city that bills itself as the capital of
Silicon Valley, the economic tidal wave that has
swamped Detroit and other cities is lapping at the
sea walls.

'San Jose now spends one-fifth of its $1.1 billion
general fund on pensions and retiree health care,
and the amount keeps rising. To free up the money,
services have been cut, libraries and community
centers closed, the number of city workers trimmed,
salaries reduced, and new facilities left unused for
lack of staff. From potholes to home burglaries, the
city's problems are growing.'

New York Times
September 24, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/nedegy7

Toon of the Day

SOS
Clay Bennett
Chattanooga Times Free Press
 

WEDNESDAY

Quote of the Day
September 25, 2013

'... Fidel Castro is an international figure. He is a
man who managed to liberate his country from the
Batista dictatorship and laid the foundation for a
society that is beneficial for all of the Cubans.
Unfortunately, the reaction of the United States
Government was to attack Cuba and to impose a
criminal embargo. But, the Cuban government,
despite these problems, has managed to defend the
life and well-being and health of its people. And not
only, it has offered international cooperation despite
its economic limitations, it has offered international
cooperation with other countries. They offered it to
Ecuador, in fact. I say it with a certain amount of
concern. We would have loved that Europe and the
United States offer the thousands of scholarships
that Cuba has offered to Ecuadorian students to
study medicine. There are 2000 Ecuadorian
students who are studying medicine in Cuba. Other
countries, only want to train our military personnel.
That's quite a contrast. So, that's just a way to begin
to respond to your question, what is the influence of
Fidel Castro? I think it's a moral influence. I
participated in the conversations that President
[Rafael] Correa has had with Fidel Castro. In fact, I
was present at the last conversation, and Fidel
Castro never offered advice to us. We talk about the
state of the world, and how to achieve better
development, how to improve health care and
protection of our natural resources. That is what we
talk about.'

Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino
Democracy Now!
September 24, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/kzek5ml

Toon of the Day

Thelma and Louise
Mike Luckovich
 

THURSDAY

Quote of the Day
September 26, 2013

'Essentially it is a wealth transfer from teachers,
cops and firemen to billionaire hedge funders ...
Pension funds are one of the last great, unguarded
piles of money in this country and there are going to
be all sort of operators that are trying to get their
hands on that money.'

Author and Journalist Matt Taibbi
Democracy Now!
September 26, 2013
 

Toon of the Day

Back-up
Tom Toles - Washington Post
 

FRIDAY

Quote of the Day
September 27, 2013

'Most Americans think the government is doing
more to help the rich at the expense of the poor and
middle class, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov
poll.

'According to the survey, 53 percent of Americans
think the government does the most to help the
rich, while 18 percent think it does most to help the
poor, and 8 percent say the middle class.

'That puts Americans' perceptions of what the
government actually does wildly at odds with what
they think it should do. Forty-nine percent of
respondents said they think the government should
do most to help the middle class, while 36 percent
said it should do most to help the poor. Only 2
percent said that the government should do most to
help the rich.'

Emily Swanson
Huffington Post
September 27, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/qc34fl7

Toon of the Day

Worst Case Scenarios
Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden)
 

SATURDAY

Quote of the Day
September 28, 2013

'The San Francisco Department of Public Health
released a map that shows just how many full-time
minimum wage jobs you'd need to rent a two-
bedroom apartment in San Francisco at fair market
rates. The number of jobs ranges from three to
eight.'

Mark Bittman
What We're Reading Now
New York Times
September 27, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/mmdr43t

Toon of the Day

Principles
Clay Bennett
Chattanooga Times Free Press