Reich is as wrong now as when he was in the Clinton Administration. He thinks the government or unions are the solver of problems with a scope and cost far beyond what Americans will tolerate. I agree with him that the the debate is worth having... right after we have the debate over a sensible energy policy, how to fix the cost of health care, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, etc., etc.
"The problem is, the choices we make in the market don't fully reflect our values as workers or as citizens. I didn't want our community bookstore in Cambridge, Mass., to close (as it did last fall) yet I still bought lots of books from Amazon.com. In addition, we may not see the larger bargain when our own job or community isn't directly at stake. I don't like what's happening to airline workers, but I still try for the cheapest fare I can get.
The only way for the workers or citizens in us to trump the consumers in us is through laws and regulations that make our purchases a social choice as well as a personal one (emphasis added). A requirement that companies with more than 50 employees offer their workers affordable health insurance, for example, might increase slightly the price of their goods and services. My inner consumer won't like that very much, but the worker in me thinks it a fair price to pay. Same with an increase in the minimum wage or a change in labor laws making it easier for employees to organize and negotiate better terms."
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