The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Matthew Yglesias Attempts — And Rather Sadly Fails — to Understand Economics

It’s kind of touching, really. Like watching an infant attempting to walk and falling down: We right now have the capacity to produce more—much more—than has ever been produced before in the history of the planet. There are dozens of supply-side policies that could be improved in every country on earth, but that’s not a […]

Not News: Economy Still Sucks

A commenter on an American Spectator post earlier today made a weird statement: The economy, boosted by falling energy prices, a weak Euro, and record low interest rates and tons of liquidity is finally showing signs of life. Excuse me, but “record low interest rates and tons of liquidity” isn’t good news. The Fed is pumping currency […]

Does Congress Know What It’s Doing?

A Rasmussen poll finds that seven out of 10 likely voters said “nuh-uh” when asked, “How confident are you that Congress knows what it’s doing when it comes to addressing the country’s current economic problems?” Of those surveyed, 29% said, “Not very confident,” while 43% said “Not at all confident.” (Evidently, “Are you freaking kidding […]

Everybody Should Buy Gold, Even If Glenn Beck Gets Paid to Tell You So

Look, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost more than 300 points today, and the DJIA is down more than 1,130 points since closing at 11,205 on April 26. The Greek debt crisis is pulling down the European economy, more than 700 U.S. banks are now on the FDIC “troubled” list, and concern about a “double-dip” recession is becoming mainstream. Now, let’s look […]

‘You Can’t Just Build a New Bridge’

The advocates of Hope and Change experience one of those Pogo moments — “We have met the enemy, and he is us” — as Harold Meyerson explains: There are complex reasons why we have not built 21st-century versions of [Depression-era] job programs. . . . The real problem . . . is that some programs […]

What ‘Structural’ Unemployment Means

We have previously discussed the difference between “cyclical” unemployment — temporary job losses caused by a dip in the business cycle — and “structural” unemployment, which is a function of fundamental changes in the economy. That is to say, if you’re waiting for the buggy-whip industry to rebound, you’re going to be waiting a long time. […]

Stock Market Pussy Goes
Where Gravity Leads

by Smitty (h/t Instapundit, who likes him some cat bloggin’) Sissypuss the Bailout Kitty, willing to work that purr as required, landed a job on Wall Street, as a result of all the financial reform afoot. But trying to herd those stocks is just like herding kittens. Despite the best efforts, the only direction they […]

The Fiercely Independent Partisan Hackmanship of Ezra Klein

At some point, “progressive” becomes just another synonym for “whatever Democrats want”: Greece . . . is a bailout Republicans can finally be against. TARP, after all, was proposed by the Bush administration and attracted a substantial number of Republican votes in Congress. Not so with Greece. . . . Ezra Klein goes on from […]

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