by Mike Kimel Where Has the Spending Gone, Joe Dimaggio? Lately there’s been a gnashing of the teeth about the deficit and the debt and what to do about it. Democrats point out that when GW took office, there was no deficit, and that a big part of the problem is that federal tax revenues […]

A lot of trading in the Fixed Income (and especially FX) market is done for “liquidity” purposes. There is often an underlying goal involved (e.g., push prices higher with small lots, sell large ones at the elevated prices) and frequently such strategies are discussed as “algorithmic trading.” (Example: the algorithm estimates that you will need […]

Guest post by Steve Roth Oh Yeah: Crowding Out Has Been a Huge Problem Cross-posted at Asymptosissize=”2″> Right-wing economists love to claim that government spending “crowds out” private spending, especially investment spending on fixed assets. It’s probably true at some level and in some situations. But if it was true for postwar America, you’d expect […]

This morning in his Monday column Paul Krugman discussed the need to raise taxes todeal with the long run structural federal deficit. You can read the column at Economist’s view without worrying about the Times’ pay wall. http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/. Every time any one proposes higher taxes Larry Kudlow and the right wing noise machine shouts to […]

Just look at Tracy Alloway’s imagery at FT Alphaville, and you’ll know what’s expected: an imminent Greek default. I still argue no, although European policy tactics are quite enigmatic and their next move is really anyone’s guess. Alas, here’s mine. Assuming that Greece does not secede from the Euro area, I give you three reasons […]

by Mike Kimel Why Don’t Tax Havens Become Industrial Powerhouses Cross-posted at the Presimetrics blog. The other day I read somewhere (yet again) that low tax rates encourage development. Which got me to thinking about tax havens. I’ve noticed that places like the Cayman Islands, for instance, seem to be magnets for hedge funds, but […]

by Linda Beale In earlier posts on ataxingmatter (here and here), I reviewed Robert Reich’s 2010 book, After Shock, and wrote about his suggested cures for the problems made most visible in the 2007 crash and the Great Depression that followed. The gist of the book is summed up in the following quote: “[L]eft to […]

by Michael Halasy Practicing Emergency Medicine PA, Health Policy Analyst, and Health Services Researcher Medical Tourism, separating facts from fiction One of the greatest myths that I hear on a somewhat regular basis, centers around the belief that the US must have one of the greatest health systems in the world, because everyone comes here […]

Guest post by Dale Coberly Sixteen Men on a Dead Man’s Chest Yo Ho HoSocial Security and the Facts of Life Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said on Sunday the “Gang of Six” senators is “very close” to a deal on deficit reduction, suggesting the plan would impact Social Security that most Democrats have said is […]