Here are some resources I’ve found helpful in trying to understand the critical mess we’re in and how to get out of it.

The Economic Crisis and the Bailout

Rolling Stone

• The Big Takeover. The global economic crisis isn’t about money – it’s about power. How Wall Street insiders are using the bailout to stage a revolution. By Matt Taibbi. Probably the best single article I’ve seen explaining the debacle.
• The New Trough. The Wall Street bailout looks a lot like Iraq — a “free-fraud zone” where private contractors cash in on the mess they helped create. By Naomi Klein. How the current economic crisis is just the latest manifestation of Disaster Capitalism.

New York Times

• Obama’s Ersatz Capitalism: “What the Obama administration is doing is far worse than nationalization: it is ersatz capitalism, the privatizing of gains and the socializing of losses.” by Joseph Stiglitz

Bill Moyer’s Journal

• William Greider lays out the case for a fundamental restructuring of America’s economy and society.

Democracy Now!

• David Korten talks about his book: Agenda for a New Economy. Highly recommended!
• James Galbraith talks about Geithner’s plan to overhaul the nation’s financial regulatory system

This American Life

• Bad Bank. The collapse of the banking system explained, in just 59 minutes.
• Another Frightening Show About the Economy
• The Giant Pool of Money. How sub-prime mortgages took the system down.

Fresh Air: Terry Gross’s interviews with Michael Greenberg

• Was ‘Adult Supervision’ Needed On Wall Street? Our confusing economy explained.

Neoliberalism, Capitalist Corporatism, Free-Market Fundamentalism

• The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein, as well as Klein’s writings, debates, appearances, and interviews. Klein is a brilliant and fearless journalist, calling power to account with a deft command of language, a keen intellect, and meticulous research.www.naomiklein.com
• Adbusters magazine

The Limits to Growth. Steps toward a Viable Future.

Adbusters

• The Crisis: Groundbreaking economist, Herman Daly, zeroes in on the root cause of our financial meltdown.
• Big Idea: A Steady-State Economy. An alternative to our world-eating economy predicated on growth.
• Back Away from the Tipping Point: Ten crucial steps to attain an ecologically viable economic future

Books and Magazines

• Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth. Why Wall Street can’t be fixed and how to replace it. By David Korten. See the interview on Democracy Now!
• Right Relationship: Building a Whole Earth Economy. By Peter G. Brown and Geoffrey Garver
• For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy toward Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future by Herman E Daly and John B Cobb Jr
• Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came Into Being and Why No One Saw it Coming by Paul Hawken.
• The writings of Bill McKibben. www.billmckibben.com
• Yes! Magazine. The Journal of Positive Futures
• Adbusters magazine. Journal of the Mental Environment.