Skip to content

Category Archives: Economics

What, me cynical?

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Apparently, there is a movement afoot to abolish tipping in restaurants, and we are supposed to believe this is a good thing for the employees involved. The theory is that restaurant should pay their employees a living wage, increase their prices to cover that cost, and we can then all be happy, knowing that we […]

Also filed in | | Comments (0)

Student Loan Madness

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Apparently, according to standard economic theory, the source of money used to purchase something, or invest in something, should not affect the price of that something. That is, over time, the cost of a given item or service should not rise just because most of the funds used to purchase that item or service comes […]

Also filed in | | Comments (0)

Krugman mostly gets it

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Blogging has been sporadic, inasmuch as my days have been spent writing at work, so by the time I get home, I can’t stand the thought of getting near a keyboard. Today was one of those days too, but I have one pathetic post in me, so why not. I read Paul Krugman’s blog religiously. […]

Also filed in | | Comments (0)

Surprise from the land of the Mormons

Thursday, March 12, 2015

This is truly amazing. From the state that just voted to kill people by firing squad, we have a piece of legislation that is so far ahead of its time that it’s stunning: With just a point and a click, you can browse a face book of felons, a new government website that will warn […]

Also filed in | | Comments (0)

Sinners casting stones

Thursday, February 12, 2015

When I saw this article's (White House to File Case Against China at W.T.O. Over Subsidies for Exports) title in this morning's Times, I immediately smelled a rat. The stench grew stronger as I read. I could tell by the title that this “case” was a PR move intended to smooth the way for the […]

Also filed in Corporate Crime, Inequality | | Comments (0)

Blinded in the Beltway

Monday, January 19, 2015

I like Richard Blumenthal, but like all politicians (like all people for that matter he's not perfect. Minor mistakes can be forgiven. It is nonetheless distressing to see him buy into an argument that only denizens of the Beltway could swallow. He is co-sponsoring a bill that would allow yet more H1-B workers into the […]

Also filed in Democrats, Inequality | | Comments (0)

Bad Moon Rising

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Pam Martens, at Wall Street on Parade, reviews the evidence for a worldwide deflationary spiral: Collapsing yields, collapsing commodity prices are the result of distorted income dispersal, otherwise known as income inequality. Last August, researchers at the Federal Reserve released a study showing the fragility of the U.S. consumer. The Fed’s Division of Consumer and […]

Also filed in Dysfunction | | Comments (0)

Yet More Adventures in Economics

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

A few days ago I wrote about an article in the New York Times, that appeared to say that investors were fleeing the lower interest rates paid by European countries for the higher rates that the U.S. is paying. I was puzzled, as the argument made by the expert in the piece appeared to be […]

Also filed in | | Comments (0)

Adventures in Economics

Sunday, January 4, 2015

I'm not sure there is any real point of contact between the topics covered by this post, other than the fact that both were provoked by articles in the New York Times. First up, is an article titled For Bond Investors, Ignoring Expert Advice Has Been Profitable. The initial paragraphs point out that the experts […]

Also filed in Corporate Crime | | Comments (0)

Flash Boys (Book review, sort of)

Sunday, November 2, 2014

I just finished Michael Lewis's Flash Boys. I know I'm late to the game commenting on this book, but my take on it might be a little different. To me, it illustrates what comes of good timing, good publicity, or both. First, the basic premise of the book: the stock market is rigged. Every time […]

Also filed in Corporate Crime | | Comments (0)