Went to Massacghusetts for the weekend, where I learned that Martha Coakley supports child rapists* and Scott Brown (R-MA Sen.) is a decent legislator who stands by his convictions, including his opposition to the Financial Services Reform Act, which principled action he takes because the act institutionalizes Too Big to Fail. (This is also Russ […]
Tom Colicchio comments on HR5504 – Improving nutrition for America’s Children using a personal example to illustrate his point that obesity can be symptom of poverty. Currently obesity is a problem for more of us than we care to admit, and most worrisome for kids. More recently, my wife [filmmaker Lori Silverbush] started mentoring a […]
by Bruce Webb In 2003 CBO published an Issue Brief illustrating the relative contribution of Aging and Real Benefit Growth to future Social Security spending called The Future Growth of Social Security: It’s Not Just Society’s Aging with results graphed above:. Discussion under the fold. Approximately 55 percent of the higher spending is due to […]
by Mike Kimel How Changes in State & Local Tax Burdens Affect Growth in Per Capita Income Cross posted at the Presimetrics Blog. I’ve had a number of posts recently looking at the effect of reductions in the tax burden during Presidential administrations or during (or just following) recessions and how those affected subsequent growth. […]
Mark Thoma hosted Robert Kuttner at Firedoglake, the introduction begins with these words: It’s possible to give two very different interpretations of the Obama presidency so far. The first is a relatively positive interpretation. Proponents of this view argue that even though Obama has faced a united GOP willing and able to use filibusters to […]
A shift to more internal demand for China might not benefit the US in ways we think it will. One such area is the impact of increased demand for resources and energy. And another is where the jobs are. China Puts Up More Money to Build Solar Capacity The government-owned China Development Bank has just […]
Follow up to the US military ‘procurement and research’ increases post: $25 billion for the first new aircraft carrier, $9 billion for per for another one or two each. Aircraft Builders Compete for Air Force Tanker Contract Again 24/7 Wall St.: Maybe the third time will be the charm. Today marks the closing date for […]
Today Statistics Canada released impressive June employment figures from its Labour Force Survey (LFS). In case you missed it, the April gains, +109,000 new jobs, set a record. And the June gains, +93,000, were nearly as spectacular. (Note: the unemployment rate for Canada in the chart to the left is through May, not June)Canada’s labor […]
by Stormylifted from an e-mail –and thereby improving our exports. Some background: Presently, Colombia enjoys a healthy trade surplus with the U.S. “Colombia’s biggest surpluses in the January-April period were with the U.S., at $2.325 billion, and with the Netherlands, at $425 million.” Colombia also is actively promoting its sourcing capabilities: “Colombia’s IT sector already […]