Saturday Afternoon News REAL

Good Afternoon Conflucians!
In the mood to discuss some news?
The Nation Politic:
I read this yesterday morning from a link in the morning news thread down page, but it bears putting up here if you didn’t catch it.  It’s from RealClearPolitics and it’s entitled “Can the Clinton Coalition survive Obama? It’s a great [...]

Irreconciliable Differences in Stupakistan

Politico has a series of threads up on the Stupak Amendment, insurance coverage of abortion, and angry choice activists.  The first one is on the amendment and what hopefully is its inability to survive the reconciliation process . The other is on the RNC pulling abortion coverage from its staff’s insurance plan. The men in [...]

They used to call it Hooverville

Here’s one you’re not hearing much about in the U.S press.  Along with hunger, homeless is getting worse.  This is from the Guardian and their source; a UN investigator who accuses the US of shameful neglect of the homeless.
A United Nations special investigator who was blocked from visiting the US by the Bush administration has [...]

Enforce the Sherman Anti-trust Act and Regulate the Shadow Banks

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating.  Monopoly power and rent-seeking behavior are anathema to market systems. Politics should stay out of economic decisions and government should provide the framework that makes the market honest, transparent, and open to all interests.  Republican and Democratic pols need to go back to Principles of Microeconomics classes [...]

Tuesday Morning Coffee and Links

Good Morning Conflucians!
The sun’s back and Hurricane Ida fizzled over the central gulf last night.  I guess we couldn’t go just one year without one tropical storm here.
Our Nation Politic:
Information continues to be released about the major who is charged with the Fort Hood Shootings.  Right wing sources continue to characterize him as just another [...]

On a New Form of Indentured Servitude

There’s so much going on in the USA that warrants attention these days that it’s hard to know where to start.  But, since I’m an economist I’m going to start here.
“There are families not eating at the end of the month,” said Stephen Quinn, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Wal-Mart Stores, and [...]

Women under Carriages, under Street Cars, and under Buses

I’m reprinting a thread I wrote about a 1 1/2 years ago because they’ve just done it to us again. We’re supposed to go along for the greater good of the “health” plan. Give Obama a win. Hope they correct the injustices against women later. Well, ladies and sympathetic gentlemen, they [...]

Month 22 of Job Losses and No Relief in Sight

The Unemployment rate hit a dizzying 10.2% today.  It’s basically the highest rate we’ve had since 1983.  The unemployment rate that includes discouraged workers and workers at part time jobs that want full time instead hit 17.5%   Needless to say, this is NOT encouraging at any level.  The one thing I saw that is possibly [...]

Thursday Night Open Thread

because there’s so much going on right now I even hate to headline anything …
right now, however, my thoughts are with the folks at Fort Hood.
 
and then there’s this thread at Reclusive Leftist.

Timmy cries for help from the Well?

And it wasn’t Lassie that got the phone call.
I’m reading what is undoubtedly the most odd set of posts in the finance/econ blogs that I’ve read in some time.  Frankly, I’m not sure what to make of it so I’ll just turn to one of the participants Yves Smith in a thread called “Curious Meeting [...]