A new report shows that projected ten-year deficits have shrunk by nearly $5 trillion since 2010, which is pretty remarkable. It seems like just yesterday that the Simpson-Bowles Commission released it’s findings amid a fierce debate over the budget deficit. read more
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The Decline of Conservative Publishing
The days when any two-bit hack with an anti-liberal screed could get on the bestseller lists are apparently behind us.
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An Iraq War Satire with a French Twist
The French Minister revisits the speechmaking and politicking that characterized the trans-Atlantic lead up to war.
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A Kinder, Gentler Payday Loan in PA? Nope.
Consumerism & Sustainable Economics Credit and Debt Currently under consideration by state legislature, SB 975 is the third attempt to legalize payday loans (PDLs) in Pennsylvania since 2010. It claims to accommodate many of the criticisms against its predecessors, but the tweaks are superficial, and the basic impasse remains: that which makes payday lending profitable […]
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Daily Meme: Sanctions; So Hot Right Now
Everyone who’s anyone is either sanctioning someone today, or getting sanctioned themselves. First, the Obama administration announced new sanctions on Russia, including 20 Russian officials and a Russian bank. Muttering “You spit in my borscht, I spit in yours” under his breath, Vladimir Putin imposed his own sanctions on American officials, including a few diplomats […]
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Some Thoughts On New Journalistic Ventures, Internet Time, and Your Media Diet
We should critically examine high-profile enterprises like Vox and Five Thirty Eight. But don’t forget that no one source has to be the be-all and end-all of journalism.
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Retirement, and the Value of Term Limits
Fixed term limits for justices would mean no more uncomfortable debates about when someone should leave the job they love.
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It’s Inequality That Fuels Envy, Not Populism
Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone is the latest rich guy to make a fool of out of himself by invoking Nazism to condemn populist attacks on inequality. Langone has apologized, but it’s worth looking beyond the Hitler analogy to more closely examine Langone’s main point that “You don’t survive as a society if you encourage […]
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What If Economic Growth Is No Longer Possible in the 21st Century?
The Week | Sean McElwee Lew Daly For decades, rapid economic growth has been the norm for developed countries. An educated workforce, a large population boom, major technological advances, and abundant fossil fuels were the key components of growth, generating substantial and broadly distributed increases in standards of living in many countries. We have grown […]