by Linda Beale Much of MNEs’ “offshore” (and hence untaxed) cash hoards held onshore The Wall Street Journal, in its editorial pages a great friend to big business and low taxes for same, had a decent front-page article  on the corporate hoard of cash designated as “permanently invested offshore”.  In fact, much of that cash […]

James Tilson and Robert E. Prasch follow the money at New Economic Perspectives regarding the AIG bailout and a more accurate sense of costs. “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” This old adage came to mind on December 11, 2012 when the U.S. Treasury made the announcement, reiterated unthinkingly by the […]

After reading Ken Houghton’s post immediately below, and then clicking on the Twitter exchange that Ken, Dan and Yves referenced, in which the Frontline reporter, Martin Smith, said he’d received a call from the Justice Department saying that the reporter had come with an agenda and that the Obama Justice Department would not again cooperate […]

Just a quick one: I was wrong; Greg Sargent and Stan Collender were correct. And, yes, I could not be happier about this, though I still expect that any real evidence of Moderate Republican Senators will show up about the same time as a flock of Ugly Chickens (link not guaranteed to work; reference discussed […]

The disgusting Lanny Breuer–a Clinton-era big-wig–is heavily featured in Glenn Greenwald’s article.  But of course the weak, ineffectual Eric Holder, and Obama himself, are even greater culprits on this.   A key reason why Obama’s first term was such a disappointment was that, in the worst ways, it was Bill Clinton’s third term.  Obama basically […]

It sums up this week and what it means. I think, and dearly hope.

I will be going today: The United States and China in the 21st Century 2013 Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs, Wellesley College, MA Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright ’59 and Former Secretary of the Treasury Henry “Hank” Paulson share the stage to discuss U.S.-China relations and the importance of that relationship to […]

Social Security Data Mining Mrs. Rustbelt, the sweet young lady I married, decided to investigate future benefits from Social Security, even though she is only “39.” I am her designated data entry clerk, so we sit down and establish an account and log-in for her. Near the end of the set-up process the software tells […]

Update:  Dealbook at the NYT interviews the producers of ‘The Untouchables’. Yves Smith at Naked Capitalism comments begin: Lanny Breuer, former Covington & Burling partner and more recently head of the criminal division at the Department of Justice, resigned abruptly today. The proximate cause may be a Frontline show that ran two nights ago, part […]

And Kevin Drum disappoints in his own defense. Regular readers will know that (at least sometimes) I like to seek out and highlight the very best, most cogent and convincing arguments countering my beliefs, trying to figure out what might be wrong with those beliefs, and hoping to understand what’s really going with the subject […]