by Dale CoberlyAn Op-ed There’s no way out of here said the Joker to the Thief … or is there? This essay grew by strange turns from an argument I was having with another Bear, with whom I agree about all important things. A long time ago I went with some civil rights workers to […]
Hat tip comments in Economic Populist: Where is the note offers a way to check on your house! Request for original mortgage note and additional information To whom it may concern: This is a qualified written request under Section 6 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). I own the property at the address […]
Tom aka Rusty Rustbelt Health Care: Leave the gun, take the cannolis A few months ago I posted about the changing face of health care fraud, and especially about fraud committed by non-providers – such as non-existent durable medical equipment shops. These groups often combine computer hacking, identity theft and bill-and-run phony front offices. Today […]
NYT reports No Social Security Increase Next Year: One feeling reported was this: “I just hope there is some way to reconsider that decision (on the COLA) because it is going to affect so many people,” Edelman said. “I can’t understand why the Congress hasn’t seen that there’s been an increase in everything.” The explanation […]
by Linda Beale Misleading tax and spend rhetoric–public worker “overcompensation” and “too-high pensions”crossposted with Ataxingmatter In my earlier ataxingmatter post on how tax rhetoric is used in political campaigning and think tank propaganda, I noted that our nation is threatened by an epidemic of misleading tax rhetoric. The GOP for four decades has made tax […]
by Mike Kimel Discouraging Greg Mankiw From Working Would be Good for the EconomyCross posted at the the Presimetrics blog. A few days ago Greg Mankiw had an op ed piece in the NY Times talking about how even small increases in the marginal tax rate would keep him (and by extension, other talented folks […]
…Corporations. Since earnings season is now well underway, I decided to look at the breakdown of aggregate domestic income (gross domestic income). Corporate profits are up 44.7% since the outset of the US recovery, while wages and salary accruals are up just 0.9%. The chart above illustrates the peak-trough losses (total loss), trough-Q2 2010 gains […]
by Linda Bealecrossposted with Ataxingmatter Greg Mankiw’s anti-tax arguments[edits 3:00 pm] When academics write about our own experiences in op-eds and blog posts, we risk making a common error–assuming that we can view ourselves objectively and that we can rationally dissect the pros and cons of our own situations as illustrative of humanity in general […]