Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Time Series Analysis

From what I can tell, this is an accurate sequence: 6 August 2001: Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB) given to GWB entitled “bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US.” 11 September 2001: On the 36th Anniversary of Augusto Pinochet’s US-President-ordered, CIA-supported, Coup in Chile, Bin Laden’s forces, weel, strike in the US. ca. 26 October 2004: […]

Near Post-mortem for the Gang of Six/Seven

by Bruce Webb (Update Sept 9. This post generated some heated objections from one or more people who thought it libelous. I don’t agree but have been urged to make the following point: My posts on AB represent my own opinions and judgements and do not necessarily represent those of any other front page posters […]

Baucus ‘Plan’ Released

by Bruce Webb HOLD THE PRESSES. I am deleting this post. It is not clear that the document posted on the Finance Committee website actually reflects Baucus’s new proposal. Why they chose to put an older document up this morning is a mystery. Until I get it figured out this will have to be a […]

Weekend charts: the destruction of the "goods-producing" payroll

Rebecca The BLS establishment survey (nonfarm payroll) reports that the accumulated job loss since December 2007 is 5.02% (almost 7 million jobs), blowing the total job loss of the previous “biggie” recessions, the 73-75 and 81-82 recessions, out of the water by 2.5% and 2%, respectively. There’s no question that it has been bad, with […]

The Myth vs Numeric Reality: HR3200 v Medicare

by Bruce Webb The current line of attack on Health Care reform from Republicans is that it proposes to Rob Gramma to Pay Pedro. I am not going to address the care for illegals canard today but do want to probe just what HR3200 does for Medicare on net. Starting from the following two charts […]

Public Option Harder Ball

Robert Waldmann McClatchyVia Jed Lewinson. Instead of a nationwide government insurance program, [House Majority Whip Jim] Clyburn is urging other Democrats to accept a scaled-down public option that would be tested as a pilot program in several parts of the country. That’s it ! I have a proposal. Tell reluctant senators and representatives that, if […]

Elizabeth Warren exclusive

rdan Elizabeth Warren of the Congressional Oversight Committee for TARP, and champion of an active voice for consumer protection regulation, offers her thoughts in Real Change: Turning up the heat on non-bank lenders with one of her latest essays at New Deal 2.0, part of the Roosevelt Institution. We have watched regulation slip away, which […]