John Podesta and Neera Tanden: Proponents of austerity are out of ideas. We have the alternative: Noted
John Podesta and Neera Tanden: Proponents of austerity are out of ideas. We have the alternative:
We can have strong economic growth without shredding the social safety net... by investing in the true engine of economic growth: the middle class. These are the policies real people believe in.... Conservative politicians are out of ideas. We've tried their solutions. Their trickle-down ideology of austerity for the poor and tax cuts for the rich has dominated policymaking for the better part of three decades. And what has it gotten us? Increasing inequality. Stagnating wages. One in four American children living in poverty.... The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. And yet today's conservatives call for more of the same....
We know we must take immediate action to create strong, shared economic growth.... Making smart, immediate investments in infrastructure, education, and clean energy will help bring down unemployment and boost growth.... Conservative dogma holds that the economy grows from the top down.... But the data on income inequality puts the lie to that story. That's why progressives believe we ought to grow the economy from the middle out... building human capital through education and job training, promoting entrepreneurship, and making significant public investments in research and development, all policies included in CAP's recent blueprint on building a middle-class-led economy...
