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

Failure to deflate: flat consumer prices only slightly help real wages, sales

– by New Deal democrat     (from Bonddad blog) Failure to deflate: flat consumer prices only slightly help real wages, sales Usually changes in the inflation rate are all about the price of gasoline.  Not in October.  Although gas prices fell -6.4% (compared with a decline of -5.0% a year ago), unlike one year ago […]

Does fixing a mistake make it worse?

Dan here…Sometimes I don’t know the questions to ask.  Here is a note on water…. by David Zetland  (from Aguanomics) Does fixing a mistake make it worse? EC writes from Florida: One of the big questions staring me in the face is… as we reach the limits of sustainable use without “significant harm” to the […]

Top-Down approach is not working… Go Bottom-Up

Economics is full of ideas for fiscal & monetary policies. But these policies are Top-down approaches. They work through investment and the financial system. Yes, China lowers its benchmark rate from 6.0% to 5.6%, but China is supporting a failing policy of over-investment. Debt rises… and non-performing loans are increasing. Yes, Draghi wants to do […]

Mel Watt?

Via Naked Capitalism: Elizabeth Warren tore into FHFA director Mel Watt over his failure to develop a program for Fannie and Freddie to provide principal modifications to underwater borrowers at risk of foreclosure. She also got in a dig for his failure to stop the agencies from pursuing deficiency judgments. That means going after former […]

The Fournier Transform

Lifted from Robert’s Stochastic Thoughts: The Fournier Transform Near Stupidoclypse Alert Major meme #Fournierderp It looks as if Ron Fournier may sweep the left blogosphere. I read this by Joan McCarter at DailyKos The nation’s most stubborn and willfully ignorant pundit, Ron “why won’t Obama lead and make Republicans like him” Fournier, strikes again. On […]

Phrase of the Day: Fournier Transform

Dan here…hang on to this definition for examples.  It is also full of  Robert’s somewhat unique humor.  Lifted from Robert Waldmann’s Stochastic Thoughts. Phrase of the Day: Fournier Transform Fournier Transform: This phrase is a technical term which describes the process through which an urgently needed excellent moderate proposal supported by all very serious centrist […]

So, you want a pipe line? Jobs? Addendum: Ok veto the XL, it doesn’t matter.

Addendum below. A very interesting article at Daily Kos has been posted.   Title: There’s been HOW many Pipeline spills in Alberta in the last Four Months? Seems the Canadian news system does not find oil, gas and toxic water spills from the mining of carbon fuels to be news worthy.   But, the native Indian sure […]

Tax haven benefits are not investment incentives

Tim Worstall at Forbes takes issue with my last post, claiming that we actually don’t know that U.S. state and local governments give more in location incentives than EU Member States do. He then says that while it is true that EU states give less in cash grants and other kinds of subsidies defined as […]