Archive for December, 2009
Copenhagen Climate Talks
The long-awaited talks start today, with progressives mostly pessimistic about the outcome. Bill McKibben makes a case for pessimism at TomDispatch—sobering and well worth reading. Paul Krugman claims to be optimistic in his New York Times op-ed today, but based on a remarkably apolitical analysis of the situation (cutting carbon is affordable and makes sense, ...Read more.
10% Unemployed: Change We Can Believe In?
Just about everyone was caught off guard by the November employment reports, which indicated that the US unemployment rate had actually declined .2% to 10.0%, and that a mere 11,000 jobs were lost during the month (forecasts had called for 130,000, and the ADP private sector report released only days earlier tipped the scales at ...Read more.
Mason Gaffney on the U.S. Economy
The first part of an interview with Mason Gaffney, who was interviewed by Kevin Press for SunLife Financial’s Today’s Economy blog. Gaffney is promoting his new book After the Crash: Designing a Depression-Free Economy. November 30, 2009 After the Crash: Designing a Depression-Free Economy, Selected Works of Mason GaffneyAt a time when most everyone has ...Read more.
Bernanke's Re-Confirmation Testimony
With opposition from the left (from Bernie Sanders, who promised to put an “official hold” on a floor vote for Bernanke’s re-confirmation) and from the right (by two Republicans, as yet unnamed, according to FireDogLake, via NakedCapitalism). Meanwhile, here’s the New York Times account of Bernanke’s testimony, where he concedes that the Fed “could have ...Read more.
The Numbers Behind the Troop Increase
From the indispensable National Priorities Project: President Barack Obama is making a major policy speech on Afghanistan tonight. According to numerous press reports, this speech will include his intention to significantly increase the number of U.S. forces deployed in the region to conduct combat operations and assist with the training of Afghanistan’s national security forces. ...Read more.
Arming Goldman With Pistols Against Public
From Bloomberg; hat-tip to Taki M. When did Bloomberg get so radical? Will they be joining us at the barricades with pitchforks? Given the disclaimer at the end, maybe just Alice Schroeder will come along. Commentary by Alice Schroeder Dec. 1 (Bloomberg)—’I just wrote my first reference for a gun permit,’ said a friend, who ...Read more.
Housing Meltdown, Ground Zero (Andy Kroll)
The latest from TomDispatch. Here’s Tom’s introduction to the article: Talk about a devastated landscape… Any which way you look, the housing numbers are relentlessly bad. For example, 23% of U.S. homeowners owe more on their mortgages than their properties are worth, according to Ruth Simon and James R. Hagerty of the Wall Street Journal. ...Read more.
