Via Bloomberg comes this note on demographics and the work force, and continues a conversation about how that impacts all of us. Probably not in the way most often provided in punditry…such as taking jobs away from the millenium generation, wealthy old geezers stereotypes, or alarms sounded about who is to pay for services we […]
Dean Baker writes Worms, Pond Scum and Economists The effort to blame the awful plight of the young on Social Security and Medicare is picking up steam.In the last week, there were several pieces in The Washington Post and The New York Times that either implicitly or explicitly blamed older workers and retirees for the […]
Bloomberg’s Josh Barro is the lead writer for the Ticker, Bloomberg View’s blog on economics, finance and politics. Social Security is the healthiest component of the U.S.’s retirement saving system Last week I wrote that Social Security is the healthiest component of the U.S.’s retirement saving system and should therefore be expanded. This isn’t a […]
Reader Matthew McOsker writes: What Bush II and Clinton Got Wrong On The Economy First, we start off with sectorial balances. Trade deficits must be offset by government and/or private deficits. For example, if we had a $50 billion trade deficit, then that needs to be offset with a $50 billion government deficit. Otherwise, the […]
David Zetland writes a well written nine page look at the limits of economics in at least the media and political level, and a look at the limits of what economic models have to offer most people. This will be a series of posts highlighting major points over time. The paper must be downloaded to […]
Reader Matthew McOsker writes more on the deficit: History Lesson – Deficits as a % of GDP, Tax Rates DISCLAIMER: This is not a defense of Bush II. Just the facts on the deficit, and a further discussion of sectoral balances and some tax rate info. Let’s look at some history, because the belief is […]
Via Salon, David Sirota points to statements by John Boehner and Rand Paul: America owes this debt of gratitude to Boehner after he finally came clean on yesterday’s edition of ABC’s “This Week” and admitted that “we do not have an immediate debt crisis.” (His admission was followed up by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, […]
Peter Dorman at Econospeak writes a gem of a post asking readers to ask simple questions when offered a morality tale by journalists, or an implied cause and effect tale, and how it takes no special skill to ask simple business questions that the journalist should at least ask, even if not o tanswer all […]
Lifted by Dan from Robert’s Stochastic thoughts Robert writes: I was reasonably sure that the latest Ruth Marcus column would cause me to have to revise and update my earlier post declaring her a heroine of Ballance. She comments on the fact that Republican representatives live-tweeted snark during the question and answer session with […]