REIMAGINING CAPITALISM: 16 IDEAS FOR A NEW ECONOMY. In the midst of a stalled and uneven economic recovery, both parties are now locked in small-minded political battles and narrow debates about how to fix the economy. The Nation posed the following question to an eclectic list of veterans of business, finance, activism, and policy: Imagine you have the ability to reinvent American capitalism: Where would you start? What would you change to make it more focused on what people really need for fulfilling lives? The result: a provocative sampler of smart ideas–concrete proposals for reforming the dysfunctional economic system. These brief essays should stimulate imaginations and maybe start some healthy arguments. Read through the essays, take a look at the slideshow visualizing some of these bold ideas, and listen to National Affairs Correspondent William Greider explain how these proposals could offer a chance for the progressive community to go on the offense in working towards changing a broken system. The entire package is available here.
And we want to hear from you! Send us your succinct proposal—not more than 400 words —by July 4. We’ll publish a forum of reader responses with annotations for the most imaginative ideas.
WIKILEAKS HAITI. As we’ll be doing every Wednesday for the next several weeks, The Nation, in partnership with Haïti Liberté, published two reports this week drawing from a trove of 1,918 diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks. Veteran Haiti correspondent Dan Coughlin and Haïti Liberté editor Kim Ives expose how the US embassy aided contractors for Hanes, Levi’s and Fruit of the Loom in their fight against an increase in Haiti’s minimum wage. Read that here. The second report chronicles how the US and international donors pushed ahead with a rigged presidential election.
ON WEINERGATE: A DEBATE. In a feisty exchange, blogger Dana Goldstein and feminist writer and blogger Amanda Marcotte peel back the layers of what’s really at the heart of the Anthony Weiner scandal. Marcotte fears that this could be the “beginning of a free-for-all of rooting through politicians’ trashcans to make sure their private sex lives adhere to someone else’s standards…” with the intention of running “sensible people out of politics.” Goldstein argues instead, Weiner—a husband, elected official and public figure—showed poor personal and professional judgment. Read the entire exchange here. Leslie Savan also weighed in this week voicing the thoughts of many: after Gary Hart, Bill Clinton, John Ensign, David Vitter, Eliot Spitzer, Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Edwards and more—why don’t politicians learn?
WAYS TO READ THE NATION. At The Nation and TheNation.com, we continue to offer new ways for subscribers to gain access to the magazine. Our Nation iPhone App, Nation Now, brings you every Nation blogger on breaking news and analysis, politics, culture and sports throughout the day, for free. Visit the iTunes App Store or download it here. And yes, it’s now also available for the Android. Whether you’re on the go or just lounging around, you can read us on your Kindle, iPad, Nook and Sony eReader. Go here to find out how.
GO BACK IN TIME WITH THE NATION. Thursday we launched a series of innovative Kindle editions of landmark articles culled from The Nation’s 146-year history. The first two editions, each containing a series of articles on one topic — uncover truths that clashed with mainstream media reporting and sowed the seeds of new ideas. “The Scottsboro Case” takes the reader back to coverage of an event that marked the beginning of the modern civil rights movement. The Nation followed the excruciating legal ordeal of nine black teenagers accused of rape in Alabama in 1931. And “Mission-Accomplished” looks back to President McKinley on February 15, 1898 shortly after 9:40PM when the USS Maine exploded in a Cuban harbor. More on these exclusive series here.
————-
As always, thanks for reading. I’m on Twitter–@KatrinaNation. Please leave your comments below.
