Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:

Disaster unfolds slowly in the Gulf of Mexico – The Big Picture – Boston.com

www.boston.com

“In the three weeks since the April 20th explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, and the start of the subsequent massive (and ongoing) oil leak, many attempts have been made to contain and control the scale of the environmental disaster.”

PolitiFact | Will says Greece’s economy is same size as Dallas-Fort Worth’s

www.politifact.com

“During the May 9, 2010 edition of ABC’s This Week, commentator George Will sought to add some context to one of the previous week’s biggest stories — the financial troubles in Greece, which prompted a bailout by its European neighbors that drew protests in Athens and shook financial markets across …”

In-the-Red State — The American, A Magazine of Ideas

www.american.com

“When we properly account for Social Security, our national deficit proves worse.”

Mahalanobis

mahalanobis.twoday.net

“Michael Fleming and Nicholas Klagge provide an overview of the U.S. dollar swap line program—a system of reciprocal currency arrangements with foreign central banks—introduced by the Federal Reserve in late 2007 to address global disruptions in dollar funding markets.”

Was There Good Reason for a Housing Boom? – Economix Blog – NYTimes.com

economix.blogs.nytimes.com

“At least part of the housing construction boom of the 2000s served a legitimate economic purpose, an economist writes.”

Larry Harris: How to Prevent Another Trading Panic – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, former SEC economist Larry Harris says that the SEC should require price limits for all buy and sell orders in electronic trading.”

Holman Jenkins: Welfare Wagons – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Business World columnist Holman Jenkins writes that the new electric cars from Chevy and Nissan are powered by taxpayer credits.”

Martin Feldstein: Extend the Bush Tax Cuts—For Now – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Martin Feldstein writes in The Wall Street Journal that deficits are a real problem but the recovery is still too fragile to choke off growth with higher rates.”

Fannie mae and Chris Dodd – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“The Wall Street Journal writes that Democrats leave Chris Dodd alone to defend Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.”

Michael B. Mukasey: Shahzad and the Pre-9/11 Paradigm – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey writes in The Wall Street Journal that in the 1990s we mocked the ineptness of jihadists and were confident civilian courts could handle them. Look where that got us.”

The Judge in the Gray Flannel Suit – Politics – The Atlantic

www.theatlantic.com

“What’s disturbing is that this is what our nomination process now selects for: someone who appears to be in favor of nothing except self-advancement. Then we complain when the most passionate advocates for ideas are the lunatic fringe.”

Why Are Cancer Costs Rising? – Freakonomics Blog – NYTimes.com

freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com

“People are living longer, but getting cancer.”

Nathan Myhrvold: Could this laser zap malaria? | Video on TED.com

www.ted.com

“Nathan Myhrvold and team’s latest inventions — as brilliant as they are bold — remind us that the world needs wild creativity to tackle big problems like malaria. And just as that idea sinks in, he rolls out a live demo of a new, mosquito-zapping gizmo you have to see to believe.”

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:

Financial innovation: You can’t stop progress | The Economist
www.economist.com

“I READ an interesting story last week about a French banker. His bank relied on new financial innovations and complex transactions. The innovations allowed the bank and its clients to become highly leveraged.”

Will the Gulf Oil Spill Be This Generation’s Three Mile Island? – Freakonomics Blog – NYTimes.com
freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com

“Is it the end for offshore drilling?”

An Autopsy of the U.S. Financial System
papers.nber.org

Here’s the abstract for this paper by Brown University economist Ross Levine:

“In this postmortem, I find that the design, implementation, and maintenance of financial policies during the period from 1996 through 2006 were primary causes of the financial system’s demise. The evidence is inconsistent with the view that …the collapse of the financial system was caused only by the popping of the housing bubble and the herding behavior of financiers rushing to create and market increasingly complex and questionable financial products. Rather, the evidence indicates that regulatory agencies were aware of the growing fragility of the financial system associated with their policies during the decade before the crisis and yet chose not to modify those policies.”

Jim Owens: A Centrist Agenda for Economic Growth – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Caterpillar Inc. CEO Jim Owens says that freer trade and lower taxes would help restore robust economic growth and preserve the U.S. position as global competitive leader.”

John Taylor: How to Avoid a ‘Bailout Bill’ – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com

“John Taylor writes in The Wall Street Journal that a new bankruptcy process is the right way to deal with failing financial institutions, not a permanent bailout fund.”

Mary Anastasia O’Grady: Chavez Decaffeinates Venezuela With Price Controls – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com

“Mary Anastasia O’Grady writes in her Americas column for The Wall Street Journal that coffee shortages in Venezuela have predictably followed Hugo Chávez’s price controls.”

How Bad Are Our Graduation Rates? — The American, A Magazine of Ideas
www.american.com

“U.S. colleges will be challenged to achieve President Obama’s goal of America once again having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.”

Jeffrey Miron » Blog Archive » Fannie and Freddie Keep Rolling Along
jeffreymiron.com

“Government-related entities backed 96.5% of all home loans during the first quarter, up from 90% in 2009, according to Inside Mortgage Finance. The increase was driven by a jump in the share of loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-owned housing-finance giants.”

Economic View – A Value-Added Tax Offers Much to Love — and Hate – NYTimes.com
www.nytimes.com

“Liberals and conservatives are again debating the efficacy and fairness of using a value-added tax to help solve the nation’s economic problems.”

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:

Peggy Noonan: The Big Alienation – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Peggy Noonan writes in The Wall Street Journal on uncontrolled borders and Washington’s lack of self-control.”

Matthew Kaminski: Europe’s Other Crisis – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Matthew Kaminski writes in The Wall Street Journal that the bailout of Greece threatens the very integrity of the European Union and the euro zone.”

‘Racially Resentful’ – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“James Taranto dissects the latest bogus tea-party poll.”

Grace-Marie Turner: States Face Their First ObamaCare Test – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Grace-Marie Turner asks in The Wall Street Journal whether states should they join the new high-risk, high-cost federal insurance pools.”

Mathematicians Offer Take on Luck, Superstition – The Numbers Guy – WSJ

blogs.wsj.com

“While there is some evidence that a belief in superstition can be beneficial, many mathematicians are sticking with rationality.”

Daniel Henninger: Smart Aleck-in-Chief? – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Daniel Henninger explores the reason why President Obama is going negative and why it may wreck his presidency.”

Randy E. Barnett: The Insurance Mandate in Peril – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Randy E. Barnett writes in The Wall Street Journal that Congress called the health insurance mandate a commerce regulation, but is now calling it a tax. Neither claim will survive Supreme Court scrutiny.”

Betting on Future Movie Receipts: Beware the Hollywood Lemons – Knowledge@Wharton

knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu

“In another of his personal finance columns, Wharton professor of insurance and risk management Kent Smetters looks at the pros and cons of investing in a new futures exchange — approved last week by the U.S.”

The Deficit: Nine Myths We Can’t Afford

www.huffingtonpost.com

“Has the federal government run out of money? Will we have to slash Social Security? The time has come to examine our fundamental assumptions about government deficits and debt.”

Garven’s cynical comment: Apparently money does grow on trees after all. I am very relieved to learn this!

Dodd Wins the Vampire Squid Caucus – Kevin D. Williamson – The Corner on National Review Online

corner.nationalreview.com

NRO

“Need more evidence that the Democrats’ financial-reform bill should be stopped? Goldman Sachs is supporting the bill. So is Citi. Translation: The foxes love this henhouse-security program.”

Q&A: Is Insider Trading Beneficial? – Fama/French Forum

www.dimensional.com

“Some economists argue that prohibiting insider trading does more harm than good by reducing the flow of useful information. Do you agree?”

Ninth Circuit and Wal-Mart – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“The Wall Street Journal writes that a appellate court decision against Wal-Mart sets a new standard for certifying class action lawsuits.”

Holman Jenkins: Is Financial Innovation the Enemy? – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Holman Jenkins writes that hedging against risk is hardly evidence of misbehavior.”

The Deflation Club — The American, A Magazine of Ideas

www.american.com

“Declining inflation, veering into outright price declines (or deflation) in some countries, continues to be a major risk to the global economy.”

William McGurn: In Post-Obama Illinois, Hope and Change – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“William McGurn writes in The Wall Street Journal about an Illinois school voucher bill that’s getting surprising, bipartisan support.”

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: ‘South Park’ and the Informal Fatwa – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Ayaan Hirsi Ali writes that we should take the veiled threats against South Park’s Matt Stone and Trey Parker very seriously.”

Bret Stephens: Peace Processes Never Work – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Bret Stephens writes that wicked men are the only winners in this game of self-congratulation and deceit.”

Book review: Power Hungry – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Trevor Butterworth reviews Robert Bryce’s Power Hungry: The Myths of ‘Green’ Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future.”

Yushu Earthquake, 12 days later – The Big Picture – Boston.com

www.boston.com

“Wednesday, April 21st was a national day of mourning in China, for victims of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck remote Yushu County on April 14th, 2010 with over 2,200 confirmed dead and many thousands injured or homeless.”

ObamaCare Mulligan: Readying Price Controls for Insurance – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“The Wall Street writes about what it calls the ObamaCare Mulligan, in which the Administration is already readying price controls for the lower insurance costs they it promised.”

Peter J. Wallison: Taxpayers and the Dodd Bill – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Peter Wallison writes in The Wall Street Journal that the FDIC could borrow vast sums to bail out failing banks and their creditors.”

Mary O’Grady: Ortega Tries to Join the Axis of Evil – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, America’s columnist Mary Anastasia O’Grady reports on the attempt by Nicaragua’s President, Daniel Ortega, to ignore the constitution and assure his re-election.”

The Misguided Attack on Derivatives – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Information Age columnist Gordon Crovitz says that short sales like the one Goldman Sachs and John Paulson participated in provide an important function, that of warning markets that asset values reflect a bubble about to burst.”

Joseph Lieberman and Susan Collins: How Could the Fort Hood Massacre Happen? – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Writing in The Wall Street Journal Joseph Lieberman and Susan Collins say administration continues to withhold crucial information from Congress on how the Fort Hood massacre happened.”

Number of the Week: 103 Months to Clear Housing Inventory – Real Time Economics – WSJ

blogs.wsj.com

“103: The number of months it would take to sell off all the foreclosed homes in banks possession, plus all the homes likely to end up there over the next couple years, at the current rate of sales.”

 

FOXNews.com – Administration Defends Health Law Despite Medicare Report Hiking Nation’s Tab

www.foxnews.com

“The Obama administration on Friday defended the new health insurance law after a report from its own Medicare services agency showed the provisions will increase the nation’s health care tab over the next 10 years instead of bringing costs down.”

 

The Weekend Interview with Paul Kagame: A Supply-Sider in East Africa – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Anne Jolis interviews Rwandan president Paul Kagame, who is also the man who ended the country’s genocide in 1994. Unlike so many African leaders, he doesn’t want foreign aid, but investment and free trade.”

Austin’s Cathedral of Junk Attracts Tourists to Artist’s Backyard, Neighbors Are Bummed – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“After a safety complaint last month, the city issued a notice advising Vince Hannemann that his creation is in violation of city code. It told him to obtain building permits or potentially face demolition of the cathedral.”

The Equal Pay Day Reality Check — The American, A Magazine of Ideas

www.american.com

“The claim that American women as a group face systemic wage discrimination is groundless.”

Yes, It’s a Bailout Bill — The American, A Magazine of Ideas

www.american.com

“Market participants will understand that the Senate financial regulation bill allows for bailouts, and this will give rise to riskier behavior that in turn makes future bailouts more likely.”

MVMA Fest 2010 at Vizcaino Park (Marfa, Tx)
My awesome son Erik and his awesome band Auroravore (see http://www.auroravore.com will be featured at this concert!

Op-Ed Columnist – The Government War – NYTimes.com

www.nytimes.com

“The stale, old debate of big government on the left versus small government on the right is back with a vengeance.”

Apple’s iPad Struggles at Some Colleges – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Apple’s iPad isn’t having an easy time during college admissions season, as the tablet encounters problems at some major universities due to network issues.”

Ted Forstmann and Niall Ferguson: Financial Regulatory Reform Needs to be Simplified – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Ted Forstmann and Niall Ferguson say the case for limiting leverage and regulating derivatives is overwhelming, but that doesn’t require a new 1,300-page law.”

Financial Reform’s ‘Public Option’ – Regulating Wall Street

w4.stern.nyu.edu

“How President Obama’s consumer-protection plan threatens his plan to rein in Wall Street excess.”

 

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:

The NFL Draft Drives Economists Crazy – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“With its fixed costs and hard-to-judge talent, the NFL Draft is a mess. Now some economists think they have a better way–a type of auction that uses an academic-research area known as market design.”

On Presidential Rhetoric – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“More than any President in memory, Mr. Obama has a tendency to vilify his opponents in personal terms and assail their arguments as dishonest, illegitimate or motivated by bad faith… Politics ain’t beanbag, but most Presidents leave this kind of political attack to surrogates or Vice Presidents. Mr. Obama seems to enjoy being his own Spiro Agnew. A President may reap a short-term legislative gain from this kind of rhetoric, but he also pays a longer-term price in ill-will and needless polarization.”

An Important Human Right – Freakonomics Blog – NYTimes.com

freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com

“Europe declares vacations a human right.”

Paul H. Rubin: Environmentalism as Religion – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Paul Rubin writes that Greens have a holy day, food taboos and sacrificial rituals. They proselytize too.”

Daniel Henninger: Democrats at the Edge of the Cliff – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Daniel Henninger writes in The Wall Street Journal that Democrats are spending trillions at the worst possible moment, with a new poll showing public trust in government at a historic low of 22%.”

Book review: Bonhoeffer – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Joseph Loconte reviews Eric Metaxas’s Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.”

Will the VAT Lady Sing? – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“If so, it’s over for America, writes Pete du Pont.”

How should we define Too Big to Fail?|KeithHennessey.com

keithhennessey.com

“I’d like to propose some structure to the policy debate around the Too Big to Fail (TBTF) concept. This arises mostly from my frustration with both the debate among policymakers and the press coverage of that debate. Many people seem to be talking past each other.”

Those Meant to Benefit From Health Law Still Face Hurdles – NYTimes.com

www.nytimes.com

“Under the new health care act, some people with low incomes might face penalties if they don’t buy health insurance.”

This New York Times article provides a case study concerning how the abolition of medical underwriting coupled with poor enforcement of the individual mandate will likely result in substantial adverse selection and correspondingly higher health insurance costs throughout the system.

Senate Bill Sets a Plan to Regulate Premiums – NYTimes.com

www.nytimes.com

“Fearing that health insurance premiums may shoot up in the next few years, Senate Democrats Tuesday laid a foundation for federal regulation of rates.”

Scenes from Sudan – The Big Picture – Boston.com

www.boston.com

“Residents of the African nation of Sudan recently cast votes in the first national election in over 20 years. Official results are still forthcoming, but early indications show that President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is set to win a landslide victory.”

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:

Have You Accidentally Sold Your Soul Lately? – Freakonomics Blog – NYTimes.com

freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com

“An online retailer adds an interesting clause to its contracts.”

 Q&A: Semi-Variance: A Better Risk Measure? – Fama/French Forum

www.dimensional.com

“Is semi-variance a more useful measure of downside risk than standard deviation?”

Don’t Fear the Invisible Tax – Economix Blog – NYTimes.com

economix.blogs.nytimes.com

“Despite the criticism of the value-added taxes Government spending is no lower in countries with more visible taxes.”

Holman Jenkins: The War on Shorts – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Business World columnist Holman Jenkins says the SEC’s lawsuit against Goldman Sachs is part of a long campaign by the federal agency against short sellers. It is also a convenient way of deflecting attention from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s role in the housing bubble.”

The Violence Card – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“The Wall Street Journal writes that Bill Clinton plays politics with Oklahoma bomber Tim McVeigh.”

Op-Ed Columnist – Riders on the Storm – NYTimes.com

www.nytimes.com

“The growing belief that the Internet has led to an increasingly fragmented and polarized media market may be contradicted by new research.”

The English Patient

www.thebigquestions.com

“A 64 year old breast cancer survivor suffering severe back pain is told she’ll have to wait five months for an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon through the National Health Service (NHS). She therefore (and perfectly legally) chooses to pay 250 pounds (about 385 dollars) for a private appointment. He puts her on …a waiting list for surgery to remove a cyst from her spine, surgery which is routinely covered by the NHS. But the NHS decides that since she can afford 250 pounds for a private appointment, she can also afford 10,000 pounds (over 15,000 dollars) for private surgery. They therefore deny to provide her the surgery for which she’s been paying taxes her whole life.”

Campaign For Liberty — A Strong Majority Wants to Repeal ObamaCare

www.campaignforliberty.com

“Support for repeal of the recently-passed national health care plan is proving to be just as consistent as opposition to the plan before it was passed. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% of likely voters nationwide favor repeal, while 41% are opposed. Those figures include 48% who Strongly Favor repeal and 29% who Strongly Oppose it. Over the past four weeks, support for repeal has remained in a very narrow range from a low of 54% to a high of 58%. Forty percent (40%) now believe repeal is at least somewhat likely, up two points from a week ago. Forty-nine percent (49%) say it’s not likely. This includes just 15% who see repeal as Very Likely and 12% who say it’s Not at All Likely.”

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:

Clunkers for Caulkers – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

The Wall Street Journal writes that cash for caulkers is another opportunity to game Uncle Sam’s energy subsidies.

 

The Toxic VAT – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

The Wall Street Journal writes that the Senate votes against the VAT, 85-13.

 

This Is Apple’s Next iPhone – Iphone 4 – Gizmodo

gizmodo.com

You are looking at Apple’s next iPhone. It was found lost in a bar in Redwood City, camouflaged to look like an iPhone 3GS. We got it. We disassembled it. It’s the real thing, and here are all the details.

 

More from Eyjafjallajokull – The Big Picture – Boston.com

www.boston.com

As ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano continued to keep European airspace shut down over the weekend, affecting millions of travelers around the world, some government agencies and airlines clashed over the flight bans. …

 

Andrew Kohut: Americans Are More Skeptical of Washington Than Ever – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

In The Wall Street Journal, the Pew Research Center president, Andrew Kohut, notes that significantly more people now favor a smaller government with fewer services since Barack Obama took office.

T.H. Breen: Americans Should Celebrate April 19 as Our Independence Day – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

In The Wall Street Journal, Northwestern University historian T. H. Breen writes that for ordinary Americans, the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, meant that the rupture with Great Britain was irrevocable.

 

Supply and Demand (in that order): Cartoon About Work Incentives

caseymulligan.blogspot.com

The basic tools of supply and demand help immensely to understand and predict everyday events in our world. These days, many of those events are related to the financial crisis — or the Panic of 2008 as I call it. …

 

On Leadership Panelists: High-risk, low-probability: Why leaders must envision and prepare for futur

views.washingtonpost.com

The art of leadership includes preparing for the unexpected. In an unpredictable world, that’s more valuable than ever.

 

The following study documents, among other things, that the top 1 percent of income earners will pay an additional $50,000 per year in taxes because of this legislation, whereas the average net benefit to income earners in the bottom half of the distribution will be about $1000 per year.

The Tax Foundation – Health Care Reform: How Much Does It Redistribute Income?

www.taxfoundation.org

The health care bill passed by Congress and signed by President Obama is arguably the most significant piece of domestic policy legislation since the 1960s. The law will transform the financing of U.S. …

 

How Is the Stimulus Money Allocated? – Veronique de Rugy – The Corner on National Review Online

corner.nationalreview.com

NRO

 

Will the Icelandic Volcano Cool off the Planet? – Freakonomics Blog – NYTimes.com

freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com

Probably not – it’s just not that big of an eruption.

 

Spending, Not Tax Cuts, Is the Real Driver of the Fiscal Mess — The American, A Magazine of Ideas

www.american.com

It’s hard to argue that our looming budget problems derive from ‘too little taxes’ when by any historical standard taxes will rise to record levels even before the fiscal gap is addressed.

 

Why do so many Americans pay no income taxes?|KeithHennessey.com

keithhennessey.com

Today many are discussing how many Americans do not owe income taxes. The traditional debate splits along partisan lines. Many Republicans and conservatives argue it is both unfair and politically dangerous …

 

EDITORIAL: Cheaper insurance for celebrities – Washington Times

www.washingtontimes.com

Joe Sixpack shouldn’t have to pay for Rosie O’Donnell’s home insurance. Yet as crazy as it sounds, the House Financial Services Committee next week is expected to consider lending a helping hand to the owners of some of the most exclusive properties in the country. …

 

‘The First White Farmer Had Been Murdered’ — The American, A Magazine of Ideas

www.american.com

An eyewitness account of the Zimbabwean civilization’s collapse.

News: Who Really Failed? – Inside Higher Ed

www.insidehighered.com

Louisiana State U. removes a tough grader from her course mid-semester, and raises the grades of her students. Faculty leaders see a betrayal of values and due process.

 

Defaults Rise in Federal Loan Modification Program – NYTimes.com

www.nytimes.com

Defaults nearly doubled in March, continuing a troubling trend that threatens to undermine the federal program.

 

Grace-Marie Turner: Obamacare will make every day feel like April 15th | Washington Examiner

www.washingtonexaminer.com

New taxes on investments, taxes on medical supplies, taxes on drugs and health insurance, and taxes on you if you are just breathing… the list of taxes Americans will face just got a lot longer thanks to ObamaCare.

Journeys to the International Space Station – The Big Picture – Boston.com

www.boston.com

April 12th marked the 49th anniversary of human spaceflight, when Yuri Gagarin became the first person to orbit the Earth in 1961. At this moment, 13 humans are currently in low-Earth orbit, aboard the International Space Station. …

 

Q&A: Does Gold Belong in My Portfolio? – Fama/French Forum

www.dimensional.com

Based on spot price data from January 1970 through February 2010, the average return on gold bullion was almost exactly the same as the S&P 500 at 88 basis points per month. Volatility was significantly …

 

Taxation: Tax the rich, and the rest | The Economist

www.economist.com

Today’s Parade Magazine (with a circulation of 32 million) includes its “Annual Salary Survey.” What this means is that the magazine presents about a hundred photos of various people with their names, occupations, and annual earnings. …

 

The Upside of an Impenetrable Tax Code – Economix Blog – NYTimes.com

economix.blogs.nytimes.com

It keeps people attuned to and angry about how much money their government is spending, an economist writes.

 

Pension crises: Debt bomb | The Economist

www.economist.com

CALL me a fiscal conservative, but mounting federal and state debt scares the heck out of me. At the Kauffman economics bloggers forum, many participants claimed that they expect a sovereign debt crisis in America in the next few decades. …

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately (organized by topic):

Economics

• Supply and Demand (in that order): Lack of Demand?

Source: caseymulligan.blogspot.com

“Earlier I displayed some data on output and factor usage in the manufacturing and home construction industries. Those were clearly cases of lack of demand: people wanted to buy less of those items, so suppliers produced less of them and used less capital and labor in the process.”

Financial Crisis

• Economists warn against more state aid

Source: www.campaignforliberty.com

Interesting article about the corrosive effect that the de facto bailout of states through “stimulus” is having upon our country!    

Health Care Reform

• Can Massachusetts’ Experiment Tell Us What’s Next?

Source: www.kaiserhealthnews.org

“Now that the year-long debate in Congress over health care legislation has come to a close, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s next?”

Foreign Policy

Miscellaneous

• Jonathan Klein: Photos that changed the world | Video on TED.com

Source: www.ted.com

“TED Talks Photographs do more than document history — they make it. At TED University, Jonathan Klein of Getty Images shows some of the most iconic, and talks about what happens when a generation sees an image so powerful it can’t look away — or back.”

Public Policy

Taxes

• 5 Myths about your taxes – washingtonpost.com

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

“April is here, which means it’s almost time to pony up and render unto Caesar. We’ve gathered our receipts and other documents, and dragged ourselves to the strip-mall tax preparer or fired up do-it-yourself software to determine how big our refund is — or how much we owe Uncle Sam.”

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately (organized by topic):

Economics

Financial Crisis and Public Policy

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately (organized by topic):

Economics

Hearing Problems at Steven Landsburg | The Big Questions: Tackling the Problems of Philosophy with I

Source: www.thebigquestions.com

“During a belated conversation about health care policy, a colleague remarked that “of course, nobody would want to live in a world where rich people and poor people got the same kind of health care”. The economists around the table all nodded in agreement and moved on to matters that were actually controversial. It occurs to me that had there been a few non-economists at the table, someone might have objected to my colleague’s matter-of-fact (and surely accurate) observation. And it occurs to me also that maybe there’s a general lesson here about how economists communicate-or fail to communicate-with the world at large.”    

• James A. Klein: The White House and the Writedowns – WSJ.com
  

Source: online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, James A. Klein of the American Benefits Council points out that the White House wants companies to ignore known costs and book speculative future savings. Sounds like Enron accounting.”

•  War on Interns – WSJ.com
  

Source: online.wsj.com

“The Wall Street Journal writes that the Labor Department is making it illegal to work for free.”