Facing A Post-Labor Economy

It is not too early for those who scorn Socialism as an alternative to contemporary capitalism to confront a hardcore reality. How will income be distributed when the vast majority of people cannot find even the most menial of jobs?

Computers that can drive cars were never supposed to happen. Even ten years ago, many engineers said it was impossible. Navigating a crowded street isn't mindlessly routine. It needs a deft combination of spacial awareness, soft focus, and constant anticipation--skills that are quintessentially human. 

Scapegoat Economics

In the wake of the economic crisis of 2008 the United States has repeatedly participated in the blame game with immigrants and with ethnic minorities. Now it is extending domestic scapegoating to still others. Governors in the US now increasingly attack state employees, their unions and pensions as if they, rather than the crisis, had suddenly become the economic problem. Mayors across the country do the same to municipal workers. Of course, both state and municipal budget problems since 2008 are primarily the results of high unemployment and reduced consumer spending. In short, it was and remains the crisis since 2008 that played and plays the key role in cutting governments' tax revenues and hurting government budgets. Growing and more effective tax-evasion strategies of business and the rich have had the same effect. Responding to lowered tax collections, politicians fearful of damage to their careers refuse to raise tax rates. Instead they embrace spending cuts that they justify by means of scapegoat economics. 

Tell Council “Take Control Of Budget And Tax Rate”

Ken O’Brien

In February of last year The New York Times reported, “Since the official recovery began after the recession’s June 2009 trough, labor market weakness has been most pronounced in the public sector (and particularly among state and local employment): 5 million jobs have been added in the private sector (a disappointingly low number), while the public sector has shed 721,000 jobs.” 

Obamacare Already Benefitting The Economy

Ken O’Brien

Republicans have been proven completely wrong as the Affordable Care Act helped both personal income and spending increase in January.

On March 3^rd The Wall Street Journal reported in an article titled” Obamacare Effects Account for Most of Income, Spending Increases”:

The Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s signature health law, is already boosting household income and spending.

The Commerce Department reported Monday that consumer spending rose a better-than-expected 0.4% and personal incomes climbed 0.3% in January. The new health-care law accounted for a big chunk of the increase on both                                                                      fronts.

Bleeding A Stone

Ken O’Brien

Over the last three days I’ve reviewed several factors underlying the economic situation of the town of Southbridge.

The starting point was the casual remark by our town manager regarding the reality of the dramatic increase in the sewer enterprise fund over the last year.

At the heart of this remark was a callous disregard for the burden imposed upon Southbridge residents as Mike Marketti has amply demonstrated.

From there I moved on to a review of how our property tax rate compares to other local communities.

Spend And Borrow Conservatives Created This Mess

Kenneth M. O’Brien

After decades of listening to the epithet “tax and spend Liberals” the truth has become clear.

Anyone who can divorce themselves from their ideological (dare I say religious) biases need only look at the facts.

From the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 to the election of Barack Obama in 2008, Republicans controlled the White House for twenty out of twenty-eight years.