by cactus A friend of mine – I’m gonna call him Gilbert – was telling me about some happenings at his office that might sound familiar, as I’ve heard quite a few variations on this theme recently. Gilbert is a middle manager at a Fortune 500 multinational, which, like many companies large and small, had […]

Robert Waldmann The Baucus plan would give employers an incentive to discriminate against workers from lower income families. The incentive is to not give a job to someone who needs a job. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities noted this yesterday. This blog noted it on July 27. CBPP has argued this already but […]

Or at least why the best case for BarryO and Co. is that I’m just not going to bother to vote for the next several years: Apparently, the American swing voter tends to think, “If I’m going to get screwed over, I want it to be by someone who is aggressive as possible about it.” […]

by Noni Mausa “Rose coloured glasses” has long been used to imply an optimistic view of the world makes people stupidly cheerful. Turns out, the real case may be exactly the opposite. Good mood produces better attention and better problem solving. From the CBC science program “Quirks and Quarks:” This is your Brain on Rose-Coloured […]

by cactus But I’m Sure He’s Eaten Sushi Before Giving ambassadorships to unqualified political hacks and/or unqualified donors is a long and stupid tradition in this country. Apparently the President who was about change has decided to continue one of the worst things about American politics. Let’s be realistic. Its harmful to the United States […]

From what I can tell, this is an accurate sequence: 6 August 2001: Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB) given to GWB entitled “bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US.” 11 September 2001: On the 36th Anniversary of Augusto Pinochet’s US-President-ordered, CIA-supported, Coup in Chile, Bin Laden’s forces, weel, strike in the US. ca. 26 October 2004: […]

by Bruce Webb (Update Sept 9. This post generated some heated objections from one or more people who thought it libelous. I don’t agree but have been urged to make the following point: My posts on AB represent my own opinions and judgements and do not necessarily represent those of any other front page posters […]

by Bruce Webb HOLD THE PRESSES. I am deleting this post. It is not clear that the document posted on the Finance Committee website actually reflects Baucus’s new proposal. Why they chose to put an older document up this morning is a mystery. Until I get it figured out this will have to be a […]

Rebecca The BLS establishment survey (nonfarm payroll) reports that the accumulated job loss since December 2007 is 5.02% (almost 7 million jobs), blowing the total job loss of the previous “biggie” recessions, the 73-75 and 81-82 recessions, out of the water by 2.5% and 2%, respectively. There’s no question that it has been bad, with […]

by Bruce Webb The current line of attack on Health Care reform from Republicans is that it proposes to Rob Gramma to Pay Pedro. I am not going to address the care for illegals canard today but do want to probe just what HR3200 does for Medicare on net. Starting from the following two charts […]