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

Blanket the Earth

The Rude Pundit Has a Brilliant Suggestion. OWS didn’t expect to be in Zucotti Park for more than two months. It looks as if they’ll be there a lot longer. UPDATE: Michael Swanwick shows how easy it can be: It’s Halloween! So Marianne and I went down to City Hall to donate a case of […]

crony capitalism and casino capitalism–bad flavors for right or left, per Kristof and Stiglitz

by Linda Beale crony capitalism and casino capitalism–bad flavors for right or left, per Kristof and Stiglitz The Occupy Wall Street focus on “we are the 99 percent” juxtaposed with the CBO’s recent report on the growing inequality in America (see here) come at a time when the American right is pushing hard for policies, […]

How can the Fed precommit to a permanent expansion of the money supply ?

A challenge for monetary authorities in a liquidity trap is that it is hard convince people that they won’t reverse expansionary policies as soon as the economy leaves the liquidity trap. The other problem is that they can’t do much other than affect expectations while the economy is in a liquidity trap. This suggests that […]

#Occupywallstreet alternative banking group in NYC Sunday

Yves points us to #OccupyWallStreet Alternative Banking Working Group Meeting in NYC Sunday @ 3 PM – The New York City General Assembly website has a section for a recently-formed Alternative Banking group, which has started meeting on Sundays from 3:00 to 5:00 PM. You can read the notes from last week’s session here. Despite […]

NYT Americas Exploding Pipe Dream

This from today’s Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/opinion/blow-americas-exploding-pipe-dream.html?_r=1&ref=opinion America’s Exploding Pipe Dream By CHARLES M. BLOW We are slowly — and painfully — being forced to realize that we are no longer the America of our imaginations. Our greatness was not enshrined. Being a world leader is less about destiny than focused determination, and it is there that […]

Perry’s Flat Tax and other "bold reform" ideas in context of the richer 1%

by Linda Beale Perry’s Flat Tax and other “bold reform” ideas in context of the richer 1% The hard right candidates of the GOP are competing to set forth plans that demonstrate their utter and complete loyalty to the right’s  “make the rich richer and make businesses less accountable” economic program. This program involves the tired […]

Linda Beale on NH Public Radio…flat tax is back

The Flat Tax is Back Moderated by  Laura Knoy on Wednesday, October 26, 2011(follow link) Quote:“In past presidential cycles, the idea of fixing the tax code by charging everyone the same rate has caught on like wildfire, only to die out later. This Presidential election season, candidates Herman Cain Rick Perry, and Newt Gingrich are promoting flat […]

Is This A Bad Thing? Sane Economists would say No.

Yes, I’m working with the null set again, but Peter Bockvar, chez Ritholtz, raises the most common objection to the Greek restructuring’s likely effect on the CDS market: [I]t will…potentially destroy [the sovereign CDS] market to the point where it will go away. The unintended consequence of what will be next will be those looking […]

Perry’s Flat Tax Proposal

by Linda Beal Perry’s Flat Tax Proposal The Atlantic has a good summary article contrasting Perry’s Flat Tax proposal (an alternative choice to the income tax, that is modeled after Steve Forbe’s flat tax, which will result in much lower taxes for the wealthy because of the deductions it retains along with the zero taxation […]