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

Paul Krugman speaks Monday night…

From the Boston Globe comes this interview with Paul Krugman on what he does in between writing and speaking. Just for fun. From the bully pulpit of his New York Times column, Paul Krugman has been explaining why numbers matters since 1999. The unabashed liberal took the Bush administration to task, but he hasn’t exactly […]

Tax Foundation–up to its usual nonsense

by Linda Beale Tax Foundation–up to its usual nonsense The Tax Foundation claims to be a nonpartisan institute interested merely in researching and informing people about taxes. That’s far from the truth, however. Its work is aimed at one purpose–convincing Americans that they pay too much in taxes and that government is too big. One […]

Leonard says GOP Is intent on sabotage

by Linda Beale Leonard says GOP Is intent on sabotage  Andrew Leonard of Salon writes often about tax and economic issues. In Friday’s column, he addressed the increasingly obstructionist tactics employed by far-right representative Paul Ryan and a coterie of other GOP representatives who are willing to sacrifice core systems in order to keep the […]

Employment Situation….Spencer England

This was another disappointing  employment report  It is looking more and more like the stronger numbers last winter stemmed more from the mild weather rather than a strengthening of underlying trends. The headline or payroll report showed a gain of 115,000 jobs– 130,000 in private jobs and a 15,000 drop in government employment.    The […]

Health Care Thoughts: Employer PPACA Options, More Analysis

by Tom aka Rusty Rustbelt Health Care Thoughts: Employer PPACA Options, More Analysis One of the more suspenseful issues of PPACA (aka Obamacare) is the question of employer conduct in 2014 and after.   Question is, will employers drop health insurance and punt workers into the state exchange system? Some new perspectives have been added […]

New York’s City Council passed a living wage ordinance

by Kenneth Thomas New York’s City Council passed a living wage ordinance On Monday, New York’s City Council passed a living wage ordinance, reports Good Jobs New York’s Bettina Damiani. The 45-5 vote means the Council can easily override a threatened veto by Mayor Michael Bloomberg (New York Post, May 1, via Nexis subscription service). […]

Taxes and Economic Growth: Real World & Simulations

by Mike Kimel Taxes and Economic Growth: Real World & Simulations Over the past few years, I’ve posted many times on an unpleasant reality: despite the fact that so many people believe otherwise, in general, lower taxes do not result in faster economic growth. It is really too bad, because we could all be better […]