Buy Greek bonds. I am very suspicious of proposals that the Fed do more to save the economy which do not specify what. They seem to be based on the idea that expanding Fed liabilities would be useful no matter what assets the Fed buys. I am convinced that Fed purchases are useful if and […]
The Census Bureau has released estimates of poverty in 2010. Coverage focused on the headline poverty rate which is horrible enough. Much worse, 6.7% of people in the USA suffered severe poverty, that is lived in households with income less than half the poverty line. This is the highest severe poverty rate on record (the […]
I don’t understand my fellow US citizens. Many commenters will note that they told me that I didn’t since I don’t live in the USA, but I didn’t when I lived there. After the jump I try and fail to make sense of the latest NBC/WSJ poll. The nickel summary is that I thought that […]
Nigel Hollis writes Successful advertising rarely succeeds through argument or calls to action. Instead, it creates positive memories and feelings that influence our behavior over time to encourage us to buy something at a later date. No one likes to think that they are easily influenced. In fact, there is plenty of evidence to suggest […]
This article by David Leonhardt in the New York Times is getting a lot of attention. Leonhardt argues that there is an active debate in the economics profession between inflation hawks, moderates and doves and that only the position of hawks and moderates are represented on the Fed open market committee (FOMC). He guesses that […]
I don’t want to be hyperbolic, but I think that Rick Perry’s chances of being elected President just declined significantly KEYES: But should states-rights supporters be worried that, as governor you said that Social Security is not something that falls in the purview of the federal government, but in your campaign, have backed off that? […]
Does committed funding — as in the Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes — protect programs from cuts ? It is often argued (sometimes here) that the committed funding makes it harder to cut Social Security OASDI pensions. Certainly recipients stress the (perceived) fact that they just want their money back and that it isn’t […]
I think this business insider article by Henry Blodget is a genuine must read A former senior analyst at Moody’s has gone public with his story of how one of the country’s most important rating agencies is corrupted to the core. The analyst, William J. Harrington, Sad to say (pathetic really) something was news to […]
As regular readers know, I have been arguing since long before angrybear.blogspot.com existed that Democrats should campaign on raising taxes on rich people (I was convinced in 1993 or 1994). One of the facts that all savvy people think they know is that people of modest means in the USA reject the proposal to soak […]
I think Democrats are wise to punch hippies. I grew up as a wannabe hippy and I volunteer. Oddly a lefty blogger is convinced that what the Democratic party needs is a Tea Party of the left, but it can’t have one, because of the MSM and hippy baching progressive bloggers. My jaw drops after […]