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

No, liberals are not to blame for political polarization

No, liberals are not to blame for political polarization Over the long weekend, Kevin Drum picked a fight by saying that you should “blame liberals” for culture wars, arguing that liberals have shifted their positions much more over the past two decades than conservatives. This has provoked some strong counter-arguments, but what has struck me – as usual […]

Necessary labour. Surplus labour. Surplus population. Surplus capital. (The Return of “Disposable People”)

This post will be a bit of a backtrack. While going through my notes for chapter 7 of Theories of Surplus Value, I discovered a printout of a page from the Grundrisse that I had overlooked when writing the post on that book. Although it does not contain the term socially necessary labour time, the two and a half […]

Water

Utah and Beyond Tuesday, June 29, 2021: The small town of Lytton, British Columbia, Canada recorded a high of 121 degrees Fahrenheit. This was the highest ever recorded in Lytton, in British Columbia, in Canada. Wednesday, June 30, 2021, the small town of Lytton burned to the ground. On Monday, June 28, 2021, the temperature […]

On The Centennial Of The Chinese Communist Party

On The Centennial Of The Chinese Communist Party, EconoSpeak, Barkley Rosser July 1, 2021 is now over in China but for a few more moments it is still the centennial of the CCP where I am.  Just a couple of observations.  This is partly driven by seeing multiple posts on Econbrowser by “ltr” praising the […]

850,000 Jobs Added in June, U-3 Rises to 5.9%

June’s jobs report, Marketwatch 666, Commenter RJS This week’s major agency issued economic releases included the Employment Situation Summary for June from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and three May reports that will input into 2nd quarter GDP: the BEA’s report on International Trade for May, the May report on  Construction Spending and the Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and […]

Next Challenge to the PPACA?

This lengthy post deserves an introduction so I thought I would do one. We have been through several constitutional tests on the legitimacy of the PPACA. In each case and also in a congressional vote, the Republicans have failed to disenfranchise US citizens on healthcare. The next issue being brought to the forefront is just […]

For Independence Day

For Independence Day The Declaration of Independence, 1776: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just […]

Socially Ambivalent Labour Time II: Theories of Surplus Value, chapter four

Socially Ambivalent Labour Time II: Theories of Surplus Value, chapter four In chapter four of TSV, Marx discusses two (or possibly three?) aspects of socially necessary labour time: the devaluation of labour and commodities produced under less efficient methods, and the fall in value of commodities when more have been produced than there is demand for. […]