An amusing (mostly) thought-experiment: how would Bush change the Declaration of Independence? Kash

In recent weeks the dollar has been steadily weakening, but since Tuesday that decline has intensified. Today the dollar hit all-time record lows against the euro. Note that in the past year or so, the Japanese CB has started intervening in the currency markets whenever the Yen has fallen below about 108, and they’ve intervened […]

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 337,000 in October per the latest report report from BLS. The household survey showed a 289,000 increase in employment but also a 367,000 in the reported civilian labor force. So despite the good news in employment, the recorded unemployment rate rose to 5.5%. Looking at employment over the past 12 […]

Atrios jokingly endorses my tentative federalism idea: “Tax Fairness Act of 2005.” This Act would mandate that, within some reasonable margin of error, your state should get as much back from the feds as is sent to them in taxes. It’s time to end this kind of geographic welfare! He also has a list, based […]

Chris Dodd has apparently pulled out of the running and Harry Reid may be the leading choice for now. Amy Sullivan and Kevin Drum explosives are having a great discussion on who should replace Tom Daschle over at Political Animal. Besides Dodd and Reid, Kevin’s list includes Senators Kerry, Clinton, and Durbin. Amy makes two […]

This was fairly widely expected, but the possibility now looks increasingly certain: WASHINGTON – Attorney General John Ashcroft is likely to leave his post before the start of President Bush’s second term, senior aides said Thursday. Ashcroft, 62, is described as exhausted from leading the Justice Department in fighting the domestic war on terrorism since […]

Brad DeLong gives us an excellent discussion of some fiscal policy possibilities: If we were going to get concrete, and, say, take the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 and try to assess their dynamic supply-side effects within a model in which the government budget constraint is satisfied as it will be satisfied, what […]

A few economists think that he actually might: SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) — He never felt the need to recite his father’s infamous “no new taxes” pledge, and yet President Bush ran for re-election on a tacit promise to extend the tax cuts he lobbied so hard to pass in his first term. Unfortunately, say some […]

This isn’t exactly what I am talking about, but it is funny: Via Matt Y.’s aunt’s friend. More on Jesusland from Ken Layne. AB

Well, Kash is certainly taking the optimistic high road, and in a few more days I’ll likely come to agree with him (in fact, I already do agree with his statement that, “The nation will survive, and recover from the Bush presidency … We’ve already survived four years of more-or-less complete Republican control in Washington.) […]