No – you have not gone to Fester’s Place. Fester follows the division where one has to have a winning record to make the playoffs. Memo to the Rush Limbaugh wannabes who only think they know the NFL: both McNabb and Vick contribute more to their teams than QB ratings. Both are true leaders of […]
From the Boston Globe: WASHINGTON — A forthcoming request for additional funds to continue waging war in Iraq will not begin to address the “hidden cost” of the conflict, according to Pentagon officials and other government authorities who say that tens of billions of dollars more will eventually be needed to repair or replace heavily […]
Was President Bush technically correct when he declared the Social Security Trust Fund (SSTF) bankrupt? In one corner, we have Victor and Andrew Samwick who defend Bush’s use of this term. In the other corner, we have Max Sawicky warning Professor Samwick about his Kool-Aid and Brad Setser extending the definitions to the discussion over […]
The 14th amendment was the linchpin of civil rights, though the process was painfully slow. Upon passage in 1868 it overturned the abhorrent Dred Scott verdict, which held that …. we [the Supreme Court of the United States of America] have already said in an earlier part of this opinion, upon a different point, the […]
Lost: Still a good show, but lost a bit of its edge. Discuss in comments. Committed: In the running for worst sitcom in a generation. I’ve long enjoyed Heather Havrilesky’s columns, but how could she like this show? A woman likes tea, in balls. That of course gives the male protagonist the chance to say […]
Speaking of the J-curve… the BLS released data this morning on the price of imports into the US. Import prices rose by nearly 7% during 2004, which is a considerably faster rate of growth than the 2.4% rise during 2003. This was due to two things: the rise in oil prices (which comprises a large […]
Airbus is ready roll out its monster jet… This new plane has the potential to cement Airbus’s position as the world’s leading producer of commercial aircraft. Figures released this week show that, for the second year in a row, Airbus delivered more new aircraft than Boeing. In addition, Airbus continues to land more orders for […]
Exports demand continues to struggle. This has been a longer-term issue than the past few months. Real exports (2000$) fell from $1096.3 billion in 2000 to $1031.8 billion in 2003. Treas. Sec. Snow blames weak growth in the other G7 nations: NEW YORK (Reuters) – Treasury Secretary John Snow said Wednesday key trade partners will […]
Bruce Bartlett’s latest raises the standards of NRO economics just a bit: It is not clear what is driving the urgency of Social Security reform. It is desirable, to be sure, but nothing will happen to anyone’s benefit for some time to come. By contrast, the Medicare system is on the verge of collapse, according […]
Ramesh Ponnuru writes: “I don’t read [DeLong’s] blog very much”. But Ramesh – you should as Brad strives to present the insights from economists both liberal and conservative. Maybe limiting your horizon to the Kudlow-Luskin-Moore axis of mendacity and stupidity is a mistake. You might start by sharing the latest insights from Max Sawicky with […]