NAFTA
GRITtv: The F Word: No Solutions at State of the Union
Obama will deliver his take on the State of the Union tonight and while Congress has bickered about bipartisan seating, it doesn't matter where anyone sits because the profiteers who define what’s possible in our politics have already barred any serious solution to what ails us. Distributed by Tubemogul.
Email this pageGRITtv: Erica Payne & Heidi Shierholz: "Competitiveness" and the Economy
"We have deified businessmen while denigrating government workers," says Erica Payne of the Agenda Project, and there's no better example of that than President Obama appointing GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt to head a commission on jobs and competitiveness. Heading into the State of the Union speech, Heidi Shierholz stresses that businesses aren't hiring and creating jobs because there is not enough demand--because people are not buying goods or services. Erica and Heidi join us to discuss the state of the economy, Obama's choice for a leader on jobs, and where the US jobs have really gone. Distributed by Tubemogul.
GRITtv: The F Word: It's the Economy, Not the Bloggers
It seems odd to quote Bill Clinton when it's Obama's recycling of Clintonite politicians that has helped get us into this mess, but there it is. “It's the economy, stupid.” Americans are angry with the Obama administration, and the Obama administration is angry with—bloggers? The left-leaning media? What's wrong with this picture?
GRITtv: The F Word: Is the Drug War a Class War?
The war on drugs. We keep calling it that, it seems, because we like wars on abstract concepts. Like the war on terror, the war on drugs racks up one hell of a body count, and its victims are mostly innocent civilians with no more love for the corrupt regimes that rule them than we have. Molly Molloy, who runs Frontera List, which focuses on border-related news and specifically Ciudad Juarez, and Charles Bowden, author of a new book on Ciudad Juarez, both call it not a war on drugs but a war on the poor.
GRITtv: The F Word: Why Are Voters So Mad?
An 800 billion dollar stimulus package, a budget boost for schools, an agreement with Russia on nukes, reduced forces in Iraq, not to mention healthcare "reform" -- with a record of accomplishment like that, say Obama supporters, why are voters so mad? Well maybe it's those three consecutive quarters of economic growth. The highest productivity gain -- 6.2 percent since 1962. Strong profits at US companies and the stock market is moving up. While at the same time, the percentage of Americans out of work for more than six months stands at 46 percent-- that's the most people out of a job that long in 60 years. One of 50 children in America is homeless. One out of 8 mortgages has fallen behind. Maybe that's why voters are disillusioned. Oh yes, and then there's that flow of jobs overseas. In 2000, the US government granted China "Most Favored Nation" trade status to allow more US investment in China. Before China, it was Mexico. That flow of cheap stuff in and good jobs out, to be transformed into cheap and dangerous jobs abroad... that's "free trade." Going back 30 years, Democrat or GOP -- it's been the policy... And the price is millions of lost jobs, lower wages, trade deficits and a huge foreign debt. Candidate Obama said he'd review NAFTA. It hasn't happened. Meanwhile, US multinational investors have made a killing in the era of free trade-- profits have been sky high. Today with all those nice profits US companies are investing - but in China. Not here. And the American worker has no prospects. Unless the White House institutes a fair, balanced trade policy, recovery will only be for the few. And the political price is a detail. The F Word is a regular commentary by Laura Flanders, the host of GRITtv which broadcasts weekdays on satellite TV (Dish Network Ch. 9415 Free Speech TV) on cable, and online at GRITtv.org and TheNation.com [http://TheNation.com]. Support us by signing up for our podcast, and follow GRITtv or GRITlaura on Twitter.com [http://Twitter.com]. Distributed by Tubemogul.
Zapatista
Zapatista is the definitive look at the Zapatista uprising, its historical roots and its lessons for the present and the future. On Jan. 1, 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect. A few minutes after midnight in southeastern Mexico, several thousand Mayan soldiers take over half the state of Chiapas, declaring a war against the global corporate power they say rules Mexico. They call themselves the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN). Zapatista is the story of a Mayan peasant rebellion armed with sticks and their word against a first-world military. It is the story of a global movement that has fought 175,000 federal troops to a standstill and transformed Mexican and international political culture forever. Featuring interviews with Subcomandante Marcos, Noam Chomsky, Comandante Tacho, David and Zebedeo, Mayor Insurgente Ana Maria, Javier Elorriaga and Zach de la Rocha.
