The problem with the foundation of Mitt Romney’s campaign
Private Equity
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Poetic Justice
Mitt Romney’s rise has turned some Republicans from cheerleaders of private equity into its biggest critics.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Saving Private Ron
Veterans turn out in droves for the only GOP candidate who supports cutting military spending.
Posted inArticle
The Private Option
The Affordable Care Act won’t feel like a government program. That could be a problem for Democrats.
Posted inArticle
The Cost Of Private Prisons.
Suzy Khimm notes that private prisons tend to overestimate their savings prior to securing a contract, only to make problematic cuts later, using Arizona as an example: In fact, the reason that Arizona is taking a second look at its private prisons right now is because of a high-profile fugitive case: Three inmates escaped from […]
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
The Private-Equity Time Bomb
Private buyouts have sucked the value out of hundreds of firms, leaving them in debt and at risk.
Posted inSpecial Report
Shadow Banking
Reforms pending in Congress would not touch the abuses of hedge funds and private equity.
Posted inEconomic Policy
NYT Reports on Private Equity Rip-Offs of State Pension Funds
The NYT had an excellent piece on how private equity funds (e.g. Peter Peterson’s Blackstone Group) ripoff state and local governments by charging them large management fees. A standard arrangement will give the equity fund managers 2.0 percent of the funds under management and 20 percent of the profit. The article notes several cases where […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
Anatomy of a Private Equity Hit Job
Nice piece from the NYT about how private equity took Simmons Bedding Company down. –Dean Baker
Posted inArticle
New Abuses in Old Forms
Big private-equity companies, which are largely unregulated, are hungry to take over failed banks.