Archive for the “Economics” category
Got new movies, but feel a bit icky about it
by Pete on June 7, 2010
The bad news is that the last video store in town is going out of business. The good news is that they are having a going-out-of-business sale. For the low-low sum of about fifty bucks, I picked up: Tremors Hard-Boiled (…)
Know your fallacies
by Pete on June 3, 2010
Tyler Cowan: If Keynesian economic theory is so great, how come more people aren’t doing it or supporting it? Jonathan Chait: Because the public doesn’t understand it, and politicians are too nervous to push for it. I happen to agree (…)
The easy criticism generally isn’t the best one
by Pete on June 3, 2010
Steve Benen posted on Tuesday regarding Republican deficit-hawks in the House voting pretty much en masse for a huge ($726 billion) defense appropriation bill: It’s a reminder that when Republicans block domestic spending on areas like extended unemployment insurance, what (…)
Good luck, Chuck
by Pete on June 2, 2010
Ah, Chuck Schumer. My former Senator has, unsurprisingly, found yet another excuse for some grandstanding. According to the Washington Independent: To discourage businesses from outsourcing their operator services, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is proposing legislation to tax businesses that set (…)
Well, sure… If each McDonalds is the size of city…
by Pete on September 25, 2009
The blogosphere is all a-buzz about Stephen Von Worley’s map of every McDonald’s in the contiguous United States: It is somewhat astounding that in the entire country, the farthest drive to a McDonalds is 145 miles. However, I find the (…)
Ed Begley wants his computer back
by Pete on September 20, 2009
This morning’s New York Times features a story about the ever-increasing power consumption needs of all the various electronic gear and gadgetry found in the contemporary U.S. household. The story also discusses the challenges facing efforts to mandate efficiency standards (…)
No one could have predicted…
by Pete on September 6, 2009
Front and center in this morning’s New York Times: The bankers plan to buy “life settlements,” life insurance policies that ill and elderly people sell for cash — $400,000 for a $1 million policy, say, depending on the life expectancy (…)
Financial innovation
by Pete on August 27, 2009
So I keep reading and hearing stories (Planet Money, I’m looking at you here) involving people trying to figure out whether “financial innovation” is a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, you’ve got a bunch of (…)
Yeah, but you should see the other guy
by Pete on December 8, 2008
I realize that we’re all supposed to be piling the U.S. car companies right now. They’re bloated, they’re presumptuous, and their products supposedly suck. Case in point, Kevin Drum having some fun at the expense of GM North America president (…)
Whatever they’re for, I’m agin’ it
by Pete on December 7, 2008
About half-way through page two of an article titled “Obama Offers First Look at Massive Plan To Create Jobs”, the Washington Post’s Michael Shear give us this delightful bit: Republicans in the House oppose Obama’s plan, saying they favor a (…)