By: Daniel Becker Just a little something that came across my desk. As you read it, think about the concept: War on Drugs. “In the United States, the therapeutic use of opioids has exploded as witnessed by the increased sales of hydrocodone by 280% from 1997 to 2007, while at the same time methadone usage […]

Paul Krugman is direct and to the point this morning: Recessions are common; depressions are rare. As far as I can tell, there were only two eras in economic history that were widely described as “depressions” at the time: the years of deflation and instability that followed the Panic of 1873 and the years of […]

I should title this: Yeah, it is just like 1929 you freak’n see, hear and speak no inequality monkeys. I have this pile of income data sorted out from Saez’s work (the GDP is BEA). My thoughts regarding our economy is that income inequality (or equality) matters. It matters so much, that it is the […]

by: Divorced one like Bush Just a little point of order regarding how bad this economy is. Lost in Space 120 episodes, 33.2 per seasonBatman (on twice weekly) 120 episodes, 53.33 per seasonThe Virginian, 249 episodes, 27.67 per seasonThe Beverly Hillbillies, 274 episodes, 30 per seasonGilligan’s Island, 98 episodes, 32.67 per season New season started […]

Ken Houghton I’ve been trying not to talk in these terms, but I’m sick, and Walter Jon links to an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education that puts it out in the open, so let us compare: The problems had emerged around 1870, starting in Europe. In the Austro-Hungarian Empire, formed in 1867, in […]

I’ve been doing some numbers concerning personal income. Breaking out share of income, savings, GDP, etc based on BEA data and Saez’s data. I’m playing with it, have converted it to year 2000 dollars and will be looking at per capita relations too. Even thinking of converting it all to 1929 dollars. I plan a […]