Economics

I'm reading Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon by Gretchen Morgenson and Joshua Rosner. It's an account of the collapse of the subprime mortgage market at the beginning of our current economic mess. The book tells the story at an odd level of detail: It doesn't give a lot of details about the characters and … [Read more...] about The More I Learn About the Mortgage Crisis, the Less I Know

Here's something I never thought about before: It's time to stop using pennies. Aside from its actual subject -- the uselessness of pennies -- this video is also worth watching because it's a terrific example of how to make an argument. It's clear, it's concise, and in four minutes and 31 seconds I went from not thinking about pennies to being completely convinced they … [Read more...] about Death to Pennies

[Update: I am relieved to note that the Google+ page referenced below below does not actually belong to Paul Krugman. It is a fake. The author offers an explanation, "hope it will enlighten many..." blah, blah, blah, but it was kind of an annoying stunt. It's true that Krugman has said similar things in the past, but that's all the more reason not to make stuff up.] I first got … [Read more...] about R.I.P. Paul Krugman’s Brain

I'm really tired of hearing about the debt ceiling, and I've avoided contributing to the cacophony so far, but I just have to get this off my chest. It's not so much that I think one side is right and the other side is wrong. Rather, I think everyone who created this mess deserves a kick in the ass from every America. Unfortunately, parts our current problem are the result of … [Read more...] about No Way to Run a Country

You've all heard about Donald Trump's weird obsession with Obama's birth certificate, right? Pretty crazy, huh? You ain't seen nothing yet. The real crazy shit will come when Trump starts explaining his policy proposals. That's not a prediction. It's a memory: CNN November 9, 1999 Billionaire businessman Donald Trump has a plan to pay off the national debt, grant a … [Read more...] about Trump Craziness Is Deeper Than Birtherism