The 2010 Census is published
The 2010 Census is out now….lots of data.
Supreme Court rulings and the Roberts Court
The NYT makes note of the US chamber of Commerce and litigation: The chamber now files briefs in most major business cases. The side it supported in the last term won 13 of 16 cases. Six of those were decided with a majority vote of five justices, and five of those decisions favored the chamber’s […]
Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 passes
(Dan here: I am traveling right now and am posting things late or maybe not as tidy as I would like. But posts are coming.) by Linda BealeTax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 passes crossposted with Ataxingmatter No big surprise here. The House on December 16 passed the Senate-approved TRA […]
Modeling Sunshine and Shadows: Inequality, long hours and crisis
Tom Walker(aka Sandwichman at Ecological Headstand) Modeling Sunshine and Shadows: Inequality, long hours and crisis Alex Harrowell at A Fistful of Euros sees sunshine beaming from the IMF in a working paper by Michael Kumhof and Romain Rancière that identifies income inequality as a potential source of financial crisis. No shit, Sherlock! Outside of the […]
What Once was Naivete is Now Idiocy
Update: Brad DeLong appears to confirm that Obama’s inner circle would be best served by being placed in a circular firing squad, given live ammo, and being told to “do what is right.” The plethora of disingenuous claims that Barack Obama “won” with the McConnell-Obama “compromise” are legend. See, for instance, the idiocy of Andrew […]
The 2% (non) Solution: Part One
by Bruce Webb (cross posted at new dedicated (and partially funded) blog Social Security Defender) As part of the Tax Cut deal Obama cut with Republicans there was included a one-year cut of 2% of payroll out of the 6.2% employee share of the overall 12.4% of payroll sent to Social Security. This cut was […]
A Simple Explanation for a Strange Paradox: Why the US Economy Grew Faster When Tax Rates Were High, and Grew Slower When Tax Rates Were
by Mike Kimel A Simple Explanation for a Strange Paradox: Why the US Economy Grew Faster When Tax Rates Were High, and Grew Slower When Tax Rates Were LowCross posted at the Presimetrics blog. If you are familiar with my writing, you know that for years I have been covering the proverbial non-barking dog: the […]
Transmission Channels for the Fed’s QE2
What are the channels for QE2? In a recent post, David Beckworth outlines his frustration: “It has been frustrating to watch Fed officials explain QE2. The standard Fed story centers around the QE2 driving down long-term interest rates and stimulating more borrowing.“ On the tip of my tongue, I can think of three direct channels: […]
Jesus Is a Liberal Democrat
The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Jesus Is a Liberal Democrat www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog March to Keep Fear Alive
Derivatives: greater transparency is needed
by Linda Beale Derivatives: greater transparency is neededcrossposted with Ataxingmatter The big banks got into considerable trouble doing derivatives trades–especially the credit default swaps where AIG was the major counterparty and the taxpayers ended up bailing out the Big Banks like Goldman Sachs. So surely one of the results of “financial reform” in the wake […]