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

Employment to population numbers

Calculated Risk revisits the employment to poulation ratios: …What happens to the participation rate is an important question. If the Civilian noninstitutional population (over 16 years old) grows by about 2 million per year – and the participation rate stays flat – the economy will need to add about 100 thousand jobs per month to […]

Social Security’s Three Challenges (not Crises) and Why the Right is in a Box

{Cross posted from dkos Social Security Defenders Group} If we back up a bit and examine Social Security absent the lenses of the various economic and ideological stakeholders, it is clearly not in crisis. But it does face challenges, or at least one challenge viewed three different ways. The challenge is stated pretty simply: under […]

Employment situation

The employment report was one of the best seen this cycle. Total payroll employment rose 192,000 and private payroll employment rose 222,000– one of the strongest this cycle. Moreover the household survey reported employment gains of 250,000.Part of the strength obviously was just a make up for the very weak gains in January because of […]

Clarence and Ginny Thomas, the Go-To Folks for Liberty

Lifted from an e-mail in reaction to two links here and here I sent to Beverly Mann concerning Judge Clarence Thomas. (e-mail slightly revised for clarity) by Beverly Mann Clarence and Ginny Thomas, the Go-To Folks for Liberty Hi Dan, I’m obviously very supportive of the political goals of both of the organizations whose web […]

It’s pretty simple: the ECB’s now in hiking mode

I WAY underestimated the simplicity of ECB policy. I think that the terse monetary policy objective explains quite well the ECB’s announced stance on policy today: The primary objective of the ECB’s monetary policy is to maintain price stability. The ECB aims at inflation rates of below, but close to, 2% over the medium term. […]

Corporate Profits Soaring Thanks to Record Unemployment

by Mark Provost re-posted from Economic Populist with permission of author Corporate Profits Soaring Thanks to Record Unemployment In a January 2009 ABC interview with George Stephanopoulos, then President-elect Barack Obama said fixing the economy required shared sacrifice, “Everybody’s going to have to give. Everybody’s going to have to have some skin in the game.” […]