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

Beyond tax cuts and stimulus

Marty Hart-Landsberg in Monthly Review states the issue of trade policy has a larger context than national economies. Reader juan adds his commentary to Marty Hart-Landsberg quotes (lifted from comments and slightly editied for readability): Most importantly, foreign capital now plays a leading role in the Chinese economy, especially in manufacturing.7 Its activity has transformed […]

The Opposite of Survivor

by Noni Mausa The Opposite of Survivor I hated the very idea of “Survivor” from the beginning, and happilyavoided seeing any more than a cumulative 30 minutes over the years ofSurvivor shows worldwide. Dropping people on desert islands isn’t the problem. It’s one of theoldest folk and literary stories around, full of danger and learningand […]

Trade policies, stimulus, and tax cuts

Both parties promise ‘economic growth’ in this debate as the way out of our troubles for unemployment and federal deficits. Left out of the discussion currently is the way to actually accomplish this growth in a way that delivers more specifically to voters other than some vague notion of trickle down from a ‘global free […]

Foreign exchange surpluses

Global trade in the slogans of politics and media means outsourcing at the moment, and currency disputes, but a global economy has implications many Americans have not experienced in any large and macro way, and suggests there are other implications to consider: Here are some key paragraphs from an article by Michael Hudson (Hat tip […]

Supply-side Economics: Tea Party Style

Our colleague PGL offers this take at Econospeak on the new deal this week: Supply-side Economics: Tea Party Style Andrew Leonard covers the opposition to the Obama-McConnell tax deal coming from Tea Party star Michele Bachman. I’m tempted to say that her comments make me feel 30 years younger (with the hesitation that this is […]

Let the tax cuts go and you actually stick it to the top for real.

By: Daniel Becker (DOLB) On Countdown (12/9/10), Keith had on Thomas Buffenbarger, president of the International Machinist Union. It was a chance for an “I told you so moment”in that Mr. Buffenbarger noted while campaigning for Secretary Clinton that President Obama would not be a fighter. Go watch the episode. I made my position on […]

Health Care thoughts: Reality is Ugly

by Tom aka Rusty Rustbelt Health Care: Reality is Ugly An Indiana baby with an extremely rare condition will not be receiving $500,000 experimental surgery at Duke because the State of Indiana cannot afford to pay the bill for the surgery. The immediate howls of protest are directed at the Republican governor, but there are […]

Water

Ten great cities dying of thirst in Wallstreet 24/7 points to a problem already serious in some cases, and during the 2007/2008 drought made readily apparent – our lack of will to address water infrastructure problems and replacement, and our use of water that is outstripping sources. This report by Ceres and Water Asset Management […]