Economics

I know I shouldn't be picking on left-leaning goofballs (because they're powerless these days, and all the damage is being done by the right) but Kate Aronoff at In These Times has written the dumbest thing I've seen yet about the Whitefish Energy scandal.The article is titled "Repulsed by Whitefish Energy? Maybe You Also Hate Capitalism." That sounds like it might be a … [Read more...] about The Dumbest Take Yet On the Whitefish Energy Scandal

Everybody seems to be making fun of Salon these days, and I think I'm beginning to understand why. Case in point: Marcy Wheeler's post about the recent GOP debates, responding to some of Rick Santorum's claims about insurance market consolidation under Obamacare: Santorum claimed to be a lot less worried about consolidation in the watery beer market because, “There’s no town … [Read more...] about Free (Brewing of) Beer

The New York Times has a fascinating story by Sarah Maslin Nir about conditions in New York nail salons. According to her, thousands of immigrant nail technicians are being exploited by salon owners.As if on cue, cavalcades of battered Ford Econoline vans grumble to the curbs, and the women jump in. It is the start of another workday for legions of New York City’s … [Read more...] about Some Questions to Ask About Those New York Nail Salons

One of the places I look for blog material is the Post Everything section at the Washington Post, and one of the regular contributors is Jared Bernstein, who bills himself as "former chief economist to Vice President Biden," which doesn't sound like the kind of employment you'd want to brag about.Anyway, Bernstein has a post about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade … [Read more...] about It Helps To Get the Elementary Economics Right

I stumbled across an In These Times article by Amy Domini and Sofia Faruqi called "5 Ways To Reduce Inequality By Holding Corporations Responsible." It's pretty much the usual progressive game plan, but one particular sentence in the last proposal caught my eye (emphasis mine): 5. Help women to prosper: Women are twice as likely as men to work for minimum wage. The gender pay … [Read more...] about Equal Pay Won’t Help GDP