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

Comparative Effectiveness Research

by Tom aka Rusty Rustbelt Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) may have inadvertently lost credibility even before health care reform is actually launched. CER is the darling of the government-dominated health reform movement (not a government take-over, to be clear). The use of evidence-based medicine when combined with cost-benefit analysis has the potential to save a […]

Inflation and Expectations

Ken Houghton follows up on his previous post. One of the few honest statements that came out of the Reagan Administration was in late 1982, when the Volcker policies were working but the market was still spooked. “People expect that inflation will be higher than it will be.” The above compares the University of Michigan’s […]

China’s Industrial Policy vs. US Random Behavior…Firedoglake

Rdan Firedoglake presents a well written piece on US and Chinese trade policy: China’s Industrial Policy vs. US Random Behavior The U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission has issued its annual report {giant .pdf}. Robert Borosage of the Campaign for America’s Future hosted a conference call for the Co-Chair of the Commission, Carolyn Bartholomew, […]

Taxes and Private Sector

by cactus Regular readers know that (together with a currently un-named co-author) I recently wrote a book looking at how Presidents performed on a wide range of issues, everything from abortion to the economy. The book is currently scheduled to come out next year (more info as it becomes available), and I’m playing with ideas […]

Reform: Looking at the Glass Half-Full, Part 2

November 12, 2009Reform: Looking at the Glass Half-Full Part 2   by Maggie Mahar, Health Beat Blog Reform: Looking at the Glass Half-Full, Part 2 The Truth about the Public Option For reasons I don’t understand, progressive pundits have been swallowing Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf’s dispiriting speculation about the public plan, hook, line and […]

JP MORGAN: THE JOBLESS RECOVERY WON’T BE SO BAD

Rdan Pragmatic capitalist points us to thinking that works for some. The strategy outlook at JP Morgan is little changed over the last week despite some sobering news out of the labor department last Friday. The bad news on jobs is no longer a surprise to investors and history has shown that past jobless recoveries […]

Photographing Phantom Invisible Bond Vigilantes

Robert Waldmann A specter is haunting Paul Krugman — it is the specter of apparently sophisticated forecasters who predict a huge spike in US long term bond rates in the near future. He notes that most investors can’t believe this or rates would already be high. He also notes that some of those who are […]

Comment woes.

Js-kit has some comments embedded in the post, at the bottom of each post after clicking on the title of the post you want to read. There is a disconnect with the blue comment link at the top of the post (blogger comment format). Very inconvenient. Sorry. Update: Blogger and js-kit are synchronized in ‘below […]