Episode Overview

Episode Title: 20 Years after 9/11, US is still a Stuck Nation
Podcast: Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff
Date: September 2, 2021
Host: Richard D. Wolff
Guest: Bob Hennelly, Investigative Reporter and Author

In this episode, Richard D. Wolff explores the theme of a "stuck" United States—economically, socially, and politically—20 years after 9/11. The episode examines the labor movement’s current struggles and resurgence, the right to repair movement, US-China economic competition, and, through a detailed conversation with investigative journalist Bob Hennelly, America’s inability to break out of cycles that prioritize profits over people. The discussion delves into the consequences of 9/11, public health failures, and possibilities for getting "unstuck" as a nation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Labor Movement Signs of Change (00:10–08:03)

• Mine Workers' Strike in Alabama: Over 1,100 miners at Warrior Met Coal in Brookwood, Alabama, on strike for months demanding fair compensation after making concessions to save the company from bankruptcy.

• Confronting Wealth and Power: The main target of protests: BlackRock Asset Management, the largest shareholder in Warrior Met Coal.

• Systemic Pattern: Wolff critiques how decision-making power rests in the hands of a few (the board and large shareholders), while workers bear the costs and risks.

  "[W]orkers gave back some of what they had won in the past... They helped fix the problems of the directors... And so the workers now say that the company, having made money, needs to compensate them for the concessions they made. Reasonable request, and the directors won't budge." – Richard Wolff (02:10)

• Other Labor Organizing:

  • 17,000 teaching and research assistants in the University of California system organizing for union representation.
  • 98% of workers at Chile's largest copper mine vote to strike.
  • U.S. workers quitting jobs at unprecedented rates, moving from “quitting” to collective organization.

  "Workers individually, yes, are deciding they're not going to take the wages, the working conditions, the disrespect... My hope and their future will depend on whether they can move from the individual protest of quitting to the organized union protest..." – Richard Wolff (06:38)

2. US-China Competition and Inequality (08:04–13:15)

• Growth vs. Social Vision: China’s economic and wage growth consistently outpaces the US, but now the competition includes addressing inequality and stability.

• Bloomberg Quote: Wolff shares a telling excerpt from Bloomberg News, highlighting China’s vision to stabilize financial risk and reduce inequality—even as this imposes new costs on powerful businesses.

  "What will happen... if the country not only grows faster than the US but also reduces inequality vis a vis the US? That might be the most important component in determining the outcome of the competition." – Richard Wolff reading Bloomberg (12:37)

3. Right to Repair Movement (13:16–17:02)

• Corporate Monopolist Practices: Tech giants, especially Apple, suppress consumer and small repairer access to repair resources, maximizing profit and reducing options for consumers.

• Real-World Consequence: Example given of a $16,000 repair bill for a Tesla.

• Regulatory Moves: Massachusetts’ 2012 law as a model, and new FTC action under President Biden to expand consumer repair rights. France cited as further ahead.

• Ink Cartridges and Gasoline: Wolff uses the analogy of standardized gasoline to expose the artificial monopolies around printer ink and tech repairs.

  "This is simply stealing from the mass of people by using your monopoly power to force them to pay excess..." – Richard Wolff (15:29)

Interview with Bob Hennelly: America as a "Stuck Nation" (17:05–28:24)

4. Why the US is a "Stuck Nation" (17:09–18:58)

• Obama Years as a Missed Opportunity: Hennelly observed that the financial industry’s exploitation ("the rape of Martin Luther King Boulevard and of Main street by Wall street banks") continued—even accelerated—during the Obama administration, even as rhetoric suggested progress.

• Emphasis on Rhetoric vs. Reality: Even visibly progressive moments mask systemic economic power retaining control.

  "What's happening is that... the rape of Martin Luther King Boulevard and of Main street by Wall street banks... actually accelerated under President Obama... The forces of capital continue to undermine the circumstance of the American people here in the United States..." – Bob Hennelly (17:52)

5. 9/11’s Enduring Consequences (18:58–23:35)

• Global and Local Fallout:

  • Internationally, the US leveraged post-9/11 goodwill to launch the "war on terror," sparking massive migration crises and global instability.
  • Locally, the Bush administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lied about air quality after the World Trade Center attack, exposing thousands to toxic air for the sake of re-opening Wall Street and “showing resilience.”

• Public Health Betrayal: The official narrative prioritized financial markets over public health, with dire long-term consequences—paralleling the COVID-19 pandemic.

  "We use that as an opportunity to create this further notice war on terror... and in the process set off a mass migration crisis... And then at the granular level... [the] EPA... advised people the air was safe to breathe... under the belief, which was a lie..." – Bob Hennelly (19:25)

• Lost Narrative of First Responders: Tens of thousands now suffer from long-term health effects, many students and workers were misled and exposed, with official negligence mirroring pandemic failures.

6. America’s Broken Political-Economic System (23:43–25:10)

• Stagnation Roots: Since the 1970s, productivity gains benefitted the wealthy, not average Americans. Both political parties prioritized the interests of multinational capital over public health and social needs.

  "Our representative government became the concierge for multinational capital... We ignored the dashboard that was inconvenient for three years running—life expectancy declined in the United States." – Bob Hennelly (23:58)

7. Paths to Getting "Unstuck" (25:10–27:29)

• Labor and Social Movements’ Role:

  • Successes such as the World Trade Center Health Program resulted from multi-layered organizing: labor, faith-based communities, and social justice leaders (e.g., Reverend Barber, Cornel West).
  • The Poor People's Campaign as a model: connecting low-wage workers to larger civil rights struggles.
  • Need to reckon honestly with US history—Native genocide, slavery, and ongoing systemic racism—to create a truly inclusive movement.

  "...building a new covenant in the workplace that puts workers first and the public interest." – Bob Hennelly (27:10)

8. Optimism for Change (27:26–28:24)

• Hope Rooted in Worker Awareness: Hennelly sees hope and growing collective consciousness in the labor movement and among essential workers. America faces an existential choice: collective well-being versus selfishness.

  "Everywhere I look, I do see the collective consciousness growing... America now is faced with an existential choice. The concept of the collective... The concept of abundance and unconditional love... And then the selfish choice that is abundant... 'no one's going to tell me to do anything.'" – Bob Hennelly (27:34)

Notable Quotes

• Richard D. Wolff:

  "My hope and their future will depend on whether they can move from the individual protest of quitting to the organized union protest of changing the terms..." (06:38)
  "What will happen... if the country not only grows faster than the US but also reduces inequality vis a vis the US? That might be the most important component..." (12:37)

• Bob Hennelly:

  "I call them New Pirates of the Caribbean; [Wall Street banks] actually accelerated under President Obama..." (17:52)
  "We... advised people the air was safe to breathe... under the belief, which was a lie..." (19:25)
  "We ignored the dashboard that was inconvenient... Life expectancy declined in the United States..." (23:58)
  "The redemption of America's promise is embedded in keeping those promises... building a new covenant in the workplace that puts workers first and the public interest." (27:10)
  "Everywhere I look, I do see the collective consciousness growing." (27:34)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:10: Labor movement updates and strikes
• 06:38: Discussion on U.S. workers quitting and organizing
• 08:04: US-China economic competition
• 12:37: Bloomberg excerpt about China's social vision
• 13:16: Right to Repair Movement and corporate monopolies
• 17:09: Interview: Bob Hennelly explains “Stuck Nation”
• 19:25: 9/11, public health failures, and local consequences
• 23:58: Systemic stagnation since the 1970s
• 25:37: Labor and social movement solutions for getting "unstuck"
• 27:34: Optimism and the rise of collective consciousness

Conclusion

This episode provides a critical examination of the U.S. economic and political system’s inertia two decades after 9/11, foregrounding the failure to prioritize people over profits. By weaving in the recent resurgence of labor activism and issues like “right to repair,” Wolff and Hennelly present both a diagnosis of American stagnation and a potential roadmap toward renewal—rooted in class consciousness, inclusive social movements, and honest reckonings with historical injustices. The episode closes on a note of cautious optimism, grounded in the awakening and organizing of workers and the hope that the nation can, indeed, get “unstuck.”