Economists’ notebook

I’m going to try to offer these tidbits somewhat regularly — snapshots of how the conventional wisdom of the day on the economy is likely to lengthen the current recession, if not drive us into a real and ugly depression.

Here are some of today’s posts on the economy from some liberal economists:

Dean Baker offers some sanity on our fealty to the IMF here. (In general, his blog on economic reporting, Beat the Press, offers a necessary antedote to the nonsense generally offered.)
Paul Krugman reminds us that austerity measures during a recession are foolish and counterproductive — as in Ireland.
Simon Johnson throws cold water on the euphoria surrounding financial reform.

Send me your reading suggestions in the comments.

Send me an e-mail.
Read poetry at The Subterranean.
Suburban Pastoral, a chapbook by Hank Kalet, available here.

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet

2 thoughts on “Economists’ notebook”

Krugman and Baker are two of my heroes. They actually give a damn about ordinary Americans.Both of them, amongst others, have blown the whistle on this phoney baloney deficit commission which is stacked with rabid anti-Social Security freakolas, in fact they are anti any social safety net. It may be a phoney baloney commission but it can actually kill SS, Medicare and Medicaid, all with a Democratic president!The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, is chaired by Democrat Erskine Bowles and former Republican Senator Alan Simpson. Bowles told a group of bankers that SS, Medicare and Medicaid need to be messed with, whatever that means but it can't be good. Simpson is rabidly anti-SS, like all the Goppers. They say everything is on the table. So how about raising the cap on the wage tax? What about restoring the top tax rate to what it was before Reagan or even before Bush the stupid? What about a small stock transfer tax that would only affect the Wall Street high rollers and hedge fund managers not ordinary investors?

Thanks for sharing your info. I really appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your further write ups thanks once again. Super Bowl Commercials 2012

Broken Cord: An Anthology of Writing on Alzheimer’s and Dementia

We are looking to raise seed money for an anthology of writing on Alzheimer’s and dementia. The anthology will be the first project from a new small press. All proceeds will go to research and care groups. Contributors who donate $20 or more will get copies of the anthology and a mention on the acknowledgements page. Writers, we are looking for poems, fiction, and essays on dementia and Alzheimer’s. They can be from any perspective — care-givers, family, the person with dementia.

Contribute here.

Anonymous says:

June 29, 2010 at 1:42 pm

Krugman and Baker are two of my heroes. They actually give a damn about ordinary Americans.Both of them, amongst others, have blown the whistle on this phoney baloney deficit commission which is stacked with rabid anti-Social Security freakolas, in fact they are anti any social safety net. It may be a phoney baloney commission but it can actually kill SS, Medicare and Medicaid, all with a Democratic president!The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, is chaired by Democrat Erskine Bowles and former Republican Senator Alan Simpson. Bowles told a group of bankers that SS, Medicare and Medicaid need to be messed with, whatever that means but it can't be good. Simpson is rabidly anti-SS, like all the Goppers. They say everything is on the table. So how about raising the cap on the wage tax? What about restoring the top tax rate to what it was before Reagan or even before Bush the stupid? What about a small stock transfer tax that would only affect the Wall Street high rollers and hedge fund managers not ordinary investors?

Super Bowl 2012 says:

January 28, 2012 at 6:36 am

Thanks for sharing your info. I really appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your further write ups thanks once again. Super Bowl Commercials 2012

Share this:

Author: hankkalet

2 thoughts on “Economists’ notebook”

Leave a reply to Anonymous Cancel reply