Public Event –– The Recession, Obama and the Future – where do we go from here?
Satellite Event
Monday, November 9, 7.00pm to 8.30pm
(This event is FREE but ticketed) Please contact jean@nysalon.org
Venue: Barnes and Noble, Lincoln Triangle Branch, Broadway and 66th Street, New York
STORE LOCATOR
The run up to the US Presidential Elections last year seemed to buck the trend of entrenched cynicism and apathy that had come to characterise contemporary politics. Barack Obama’s rallies were often more like pop concerts or festivals, and many young people were mobilised to vote. Beyond broad generalities such as ‘hope’ and ‘change’ however, critics noted that specific political ideas and broader party principles seemed to be absent. Now we are in the midst of a severe recession: financial institutions and flagship businesses like GM are in crisis and jobs are being lost. So can President Obama deliver on his promise and deliver the change necessary for economic recovery?
The global political climate has changed dramatically in recent years. The traditional debates between right and left, capitalism and communism – the interplay of which shaped the thinking of economic thinkers like Milton Friedman and John Maynard Keynes – lack salience today. So what ideological resources, if any, does Obama have to draw on? It often appears few politicians and commentators even understand what has happened and why – let alone how to resolve the problem. Many have sought to blame ‘greedy bankers’ or ‘greedy consumers’ and neglectful regulators – but is this a case of scapegoating rather than serious analyis? Western economies have become increasingly dependent on credit rather than production. Will attempting to kick-start these economies with a stimulus bill that is predicated on more credit creation get to the heart of the problem? Or do we need a more comprehensive, honest debate about the fundamentals of the economy, what is and is not working, and what has changed? Given all the failed experiments of the past, is there no alternative to how things are? Can citizens make a difference to these complex issues?
Speakers:
Justin Fox is the economics and business columnist for Time magazine. He also writes the Curious Capitalist blog on Time.com. Before joining Time in 2007, Fox spent more than a decade at Fortune magazine, where he covered a wide variety of topics related to economics, finance, and international business. In 2000 and 2001, he was the magazine’s Europe editor, based in London.
Prior to joining Fortune, Fox worked at several newspapers, including American Banker and The Birmingham (Alabama) News. He has a degree in international affairs from Princeton University, studied political science at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, and speaks Dutch and German. Fox is married and has a son. He lives in Manhattan. His first book, The Myth of the Rational Market, is a history of the rise and fall of the efficient market hypothesis – the influential academic theory that financial markets are nearly perfectly rational and correct.
Justin Fox is the author of The Myth of the Rational Market: A History of Risk, Reward and Delusion on Wall Street
http://www.amazon.com/Myth-Rational-Market-History-Delusion/dp/0060598999/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255275129&sr=1-1
James Matthews is a management consultant based in New York. James has written about a variety of business and economics topics. He is a member of the NY Salon, and has convened NY Salon events such as “Is There a Culture of Corruption?” and “Athletes as Role Models in the Steroids Era.” James lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two sons, and is an avid fan of the New York Yankees baseball team.
Robert J. Samuelson – reporter for Washington Post, 1969-1973; freelance writer,1973-1976; economics correspondent and columnist for the National Journal magazine, 1976-1984; NJ columns reprinted in Washington Post beginning in 1977; columnist for Newsweek, 1983-present (biweekly Newsweek columns reprinted in Post; columns for Post in the off weeks). He is married to Judith Herr, with three children.
Robert Samuelson is the author of The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath: The Past and Future of American Affluence
http://www.amazon.com/Great-Inflation-Its-Aftermath-Affluence/dp/0375505482
Bruce Bartlett is an economic historian who has spent the last 30 years working in politics and public policy. He has served in numerous governmental positions, including as a domestic policy adviser to President Ronald Reagan and a Treasury official under President George H.W. Bush. He is a weekly columnist for Forbes.com and has written for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, National Review, Commentary, and Fortune. He is also a frequent guest on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Lou Dobbs’ Moneyline, NBC Nightly News, Nightline, Crossfire, Wall Street Week, CNN, CNBC, and Fox News Channel, among others.
Bruce Bartlett’s most recently published book is The New American Economy: The Failure of Reaganomics and a New Way Forward.
http://www.amazon.com/New-American-Economy-Failure-Reaganomics/dp/0230615872/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255921470&sr=1-1
Moderator: Alan Miller, co-director, NY Salon; director and producer, TV, theatre and documentaries; cultural commentator; co-founder of London’s Truman Brewery and Vibe Bar.
What does the controversy over the Park 51 ‘Ground Zero mosque’ say about contemporary America? Have Americans become too tolerant, or not tolerant enough?
The New York Salon invites you to an end of year get together, post Thanksgiving and pre Christmas, where, with a spectacular backdrop, we can enjoy a for a relaxed evening of conversation, music (at 8.00pm) and stunning views of the city and, as ever, think and discuss (and probably argue a little!) about not only what has happened, but also where we might be headed.
