2 from Counterpunch on the economy

The Chop Shop Economy
Other People's Money

By ALAN FARAGO

Here is the point: even if we could export more, the sad truth is that after 20 years of globalization the manufacturing supply chain in the United States has rusted out. Except for airplanes and guns, every basic, wage-intensive industry that links raw commodities to end products has been shipped to low cost labor nations, either in whole or part.

The US economy spent the past decade balancing on one leg: housing. For a time, foreign investors in US debt were fine with arrangements that allowed them to charitably view this performance.

Let the Bankers Earn Their Money--Like the Rest of Us
Knocking Down False Economic Gods

By PETER MORICI