Only two weeks late. I’m catching up.
Economics
- The Long Run cost of the Economic Downturn: Brad DeLong thinks the prospects for economic growth aren’t looking good
- Slower Growth of Health Costs Eases Budget Deficit: Medicare and Medicaid costs are unexpectedly down – a positive impact on the deficit but not sure why exactly they’re down or if it’s likely to persist so no parties yet.
- Quantitative Easing Explained: Everything you wanted to know but didn’t know who to ask about Quantitative Easing, an ‘unconventional’ monetary policy program of the Fed’s intended to stimulate the economy by buying Treasury securities, corporate bonds, mortgage-backed securities, and other securities.
- Incomes Flat in Recovery, but Not for the 1%: Incomes rose more than 11 percent for the top 1 percent of earners during the economic recovery, but not at all for everybody else, according to new data.
- Dead money: The Economist on cash piling up on companies’ balance sheets. (If you work for a living that’s not a good thing. In terms of stimulating economic growth it would be much better for them to invest it.)
- Corporate Hoarding and the Slow Recovery: Paul Krugman on corporate profits and hoarding.
- David Einhorn and Apple’s Fear of Failure: Apple shareholder sues them for not paying out its profits
- Tracing Wingnuttery About John Maynard Keynes: Brad DeLong looks into the history of hostility towards and misrepresentation of economist John Maynard Keynes
Politics
- Quietly Killing a Consumer Watchdog: NY Times editorial on GOP efforts to kill the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- After seven years, will Medicare finally have a leader? Sarah Kliff on the current nominee (and past nominees) to run the largest federal agency, which has been without a leader for over seven years now.
- President Obama’s agenda: A return to political normalcy. Ezra Klein evaluates Pres. Obama’s convention speech immediately after it was given last September.
- On the Issues: A Guide to Obama’s Proposals. Want to know the details of what the administration is proposing? Follow the links in this article.
- Obama’s ‘Just Trust Me’ Argument: Andrew Rosenthal expresses displeasure with the administration’s targeted killing policy
- The Ignorance Caucus: Paul Krugman on the willful ignorance of the GOP
- China Looms Over Response to Nuclear Test by North Korea: NY Times article on potential international political fallout from N. Korean nuclear test
- Christina Romer is my choice for next Fed chair: Brad DeLong makes a concise argument for Romer
Health Care
- Can Wisconsin expand coverage without Medicaid? Governor Walker thinks so. I wouldn’t piss on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker if he was on fire. That said, taken at face value, his proposal to expand Medicare coverage within the state appears to have some things going for it.
Nature and Environment
- Permaculture: A Love Story. Two families create a farm on a barren lot in Holyoke, MA. Their blog is here.
- Spectacular Videos of Meteor Over Siberia: Wow.
Miscellaneous
- Why waste time philosophizing? Andrew Gelman and commenters (including myself) on the philosophy of statistics