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

President Obama’s new website

rdan Motherjones has a note on the new Whitehouse website. I point out some additional information of a new contract with America. An off-line Obama isn’t just bad for Barack. It’s bad for all of us. The president’s ability to reach outside his inner circle gives him access to fresh ideas and constructive critics; it […]

de Long is Too Kind to von Hayek

Robert Waldmann DeLong criticizes the introduction to the second edition of “The Road to Serfdom” On Hayek you prove that Hayek claimed that the UK was on the road to serfdom, you don’t prove that he claimed that it had gone beyond the point of no return on that road, that a U-turn before arrival […]

The Most Unpleasant Post I’ll Ever Write… and It Is About World Peace

by cactus The Most Unpleasant Post I’ll Ever Write… and It Is About World Peace I really don’t like this post. I don’t like what I wrote in it. Unfortunately, it seems accurate to me. So here goes… Saudi Arabia has no troubles with Zoroastrians, Christians, Jews, or Shia Muslims. The Zoroastrians, Christians, and Jews […]

Once is History, Twice is Parody and Ignorance

Gary Farber (so far only via Facebook) (UPDATE: Now here) finds a reprint from the 8 March 1933 issue of The Nation: At the risk of gilding the tinsel, let the record be set down finally as The Nation takes leave this week of the “only party fit to rule.” American memories are short. Four […]

Galbraith: Unemployment Statistics Of The New Deal Era

by Bruce WebbA little antidote to Amity Shlaes and the other New Deal Deniers. From TPM Cafe J.K. Galbraith introduces Marshall Auerback The view that the New Deal was too small and accomplished little, that only WWII ended the Depression, is very widely held. But it is not correct. It is based on a mis-reading […]

petitio eleuchi … were they smarter in 1932 than now?

rdan Noni Mausa in comments reminds us: (We forget)….how essential it is to understand sound and unsound arguments. Arguments are one tool of winning or losing in the struggle against your opponent and his definition of reality — a definition which will effect your life and improve his (or else why would he bother?) If […]

Prof. Pollkatz: Bush Approval & the three Commander in Chief Moments

Stuart Eugene Thiel is a retired lawyer and economics professor (at least he taught at Wash. St and DePaul U’s) who comments around the blogosphere here and there. But to me he will always be Prof. Pollkatz proprietor of a really fantastic polling website with a concentration on Bush approval as aggregated from 15 national […]

Bush’s economic report released

rdan Economistmom points to the Bush administration’s final economic report, remarking how lackluster it is and how scarce in quantitative data even concerning the overriding flagship notion of ‘tax cuts as driver of the economy’ meme. Bush Economic report 2009. Works now. Clinton Economic report 2001 Ok, go for it. Update: The links worked this […]

rdan Please double check your user id on js-kit carefully until you know what to check automatically. Sometimes it is the cookie which is deleted. Too many anonymouses makes for confusion…do not feel embarrassed by popping in your name in reply…we all understand. Anonymous will eventually be considered impolite. This note will be deleted in […]