The Rustbelt Reader
The Rustbelt Reader is a Pittsburgh-based publication that studies history, measures the present, and imagines the next American century.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Freemium | Publishes | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 150 | Founded | 10 months ago | Last Issue | 10 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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therustbeltreader.substack.comLatest Issues
We Hold All the Cards
EDITOR’S NOTE
This essay follows “Why Bother Selling Fannie and Freddie?”, published earlier this week, which argued that the debate over releasing the mortgage giants has been framed around the wrong question. That piece asked what Washin...
Why Bother Selling Fannie and Freddie?
BY DAVID LOHEYDE
At a mortgage-industry conference last year, PIMCO’s head of public policy, Libby Cantrill, said the quiet thing out loud. She questioned the whole “obsession” with releasing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — ending the...
What the Founders Owed, and to Whom
BY LUCA PACIOLI · THE RUSTBELT READER · A SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL PIECE
William Playfair, “Chart of the National Debt of England,” 1786 (Plate 20, Commercial and Political Atlas) — public domain. Use the image you have.
William Playfair’s 1786...
The Ledger Behind the Lectern
A follow-up to “Goldberg’s Moment,” and a revision of its verdict.
By David Loheyde
Bernard Goldberg, the man who diagnosed CBS News a quarter-century before anyone else was willing to say it out loud, was asked recently what he made of B...
The Bill From 1982
BY LUCA PACIOLI · PITTSBURGH PA · JUNE 2026
On March 5, 1982, U.S. Steel stopped behaving like a steel company.
It announced one of the largest acquisitions in American history: Marathon Oil, for $6.2 billion. At the time, ma...
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| Subscribers | Engagement | 77 | Monthly Web Visits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accepts Sponsors | Estimated Cost per Ad | ||||
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
From Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh, we study history, measure the present, and imagine the next American century.
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