Rethinking the Economy

This is pretty mind-blowing.
In 2008, the American National Election Study asked folks if Uncle Sam spent too much, too little, or about right in 12 areas.
The
results:
the respondents who identified themselves as “conservative” or “extremely conservative” had little appetite for specific spending cuts.
Very few conservatives said they favored reducing (or cutting [...]

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Some thoughts on my latest stab at a framework — “the economy is like a game where players set some of the rules.”
What works: it pulls together several points that I really like, although they still feel like they’re duct taped together.
What doesn’t: it doesn’t pull in the nitty-gritty details about how the economy [...]

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I’m stepping down the amount of pain medication I use for my hands. It’s a good thing — it means my hands are finally beginning to recover from the flareup 2 years ago — but it does mean I have to be extra careful right now.
So, I’m either going to skip blogging altogether or [...]

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In case you’re feeling the blues after last night’s elections, the Progressive States Network’s put together an interesting analysis of several polls taken in the last few months. The bottom line: “Progressive Values Dominant– But [We] Need to Rebuild Trust in Effectiveness of Government Action.” Some highlights:
•Six in 10 Americans believe that [...]

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[Part 4 of the Getting Green Done book review]
Unlike a lot of other books on the business of going green, Getting Green Done argues that government has to be a big part of the solution.
business is only one key to addressing climate change. Businesses are nimble, motivated (by profit), and powerful enough [...]

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Senator Edward Kennedy died last night. Robert Reich on just how deep a loss Kennedy’s passing is for our country:
America has had a few precious individuals who are both passionate about social justice and also understand deep in their bones its practical meaning. And we have had a few who possess great political shrewdness [...]

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Speaking of studying irrational behavior, what’s up with Investor’s Business Daily? First they write an editorial with a flat-out lie:
People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn’t have a chance in the U.K., where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.
Then, [...]

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The next time someone tries to scare you about the cost of health care for all, here’s a nice stat from Krugman. The Congressional Budget Office just published an analysis of the Senate’s health care bill.
The budget office says that all this would cost $597 billion over the next decade. But that doesn’t include the [...]

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Although I’m focusing my energy right now on trying to come up with my economic model — a.k.a. banging my head against the wall until my head or the wall gives in — I’m going to start mixing in more posts on whatever economic news/ideas grab me.
You’re probably saying to yourself, okay, and that’s worth [...]

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I’ve only gotten partway through laying out v 0.5 of the model, and it’s just not working for me. It was a good first try. But it feels like it shoves into a corner some of the more interesting ideas I’ve been playing with. And it just doesn’t… feel right.
My hands aren’t in great shape [...]

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