Brad DeLong notes an experiment subject (as is the wont of the Obama Administration to date) to regulatory capture: In a surprising move, the Obama administration will extend special bonus payments meant to reward top-performing Medicare Advantage insurers to those that score only average ratings….The law says bonuses, which start in 2012, would go to […]
Beat the Press Dean Baker November 22, 2010 says it well: The Washington Consensus That Excludes the Overwhelming Majority of the Public A front page Washington Post editorial * touted the “accord seen in debate over deficit.” It begins by telling readers that: “the sacrifices necessary to achieve those goals are coming into sharp focus.” […]
by Mike Kimel E Pluribus Unum and Our Finest HourCross posted at the Presimetrics blog. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new dark age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the […]
by Linda Beale ABA TAx Section Pronouncement on Carried Interestoriginally posted at Ataxingmatter (Nov. 10) The American Bar Association Section of Taxaction has issued a letter on Comments on Carried Interest Proposals in senate Amendment 4386 to H.R. 4213 (Nov. 5, 2010). As many are aware, a letter from the officers of the ABA Tax […]
US firms warn Irish over tax move The Irish government has been given a stark warning from some of the biggest American companies in Ireland on the risk of a mass exodus if the country’s low corporation tax rate is raised. What is the difference between a multinational corporation and a trans-national corporation? And what […]
The NYT notes this morning: Ireland Will Apply for Bailout Package Irish finance minister Brian Lenihan confirmed today thatIreland had formally applied to Europe and the InternationalMonetary Fund for a bailout package. He would not give an exact figure but said the amount wouldbe in the tens of billions of euros and that the final […]
by Linda Bealecrossposted with Ataxingmatter Friday Animations–being a good mother These days the tea partiers and libertarians have tended to mock those who think that we should all tax ourselves to take care of those who are less fortunate, and that the wealthiest amongst us–corporate managers, private equity managers, and shareholders–should pay more in taxes. […]
Robert Waldmann The gap between public opinion and elite opinions about public opinion never ceases to amaze me. The policy elite seems to have decided that Social Security old age pensions have to be cut. The public is adamantly opposed. It is even more striking that a strong majority supports lifting the payroll tax ceiling […]
Tom aka Rusty Rustbelt The Un-foreclosure What could be worse than a foreclosure? An Un-foreclosure (HT: Columbus Dispatch) also known as a dropped foreclosure or a bank walkaway. Although exact statistics are hard to come by, the un-foreclosure is apparently become very common in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. At some point the bank decides the […]
Premise: The difference between the Irish and U.S. situation is in the breadth of institutions (smaller financial institutions still intermediate and control capital usage), not the foolishness of the leaders in committing to make the banks whole. Discuss.