For perspective, here is a good look at the last big spending cut/tax increase deficit battle and how it came out. The Republicans would be stupid to agree to to trade tax increases for imaginary spending cuts because A. they will get … [Read more...]

Dear women: I'll take off my shirt if you take off yours. Are there women who think this is a fair trade of photos? Never heard of them.... am I just hanging out with the wrong women?     … [Read more...]

Attention cities and towns. Here is the explanation of why your health costs are destroying your budgets. In Paul Ryan's video on his Medicare plan, he graphically illustrates the growth in per household healthcare spending from $540 in … [Read more...]

This guy puts together a couple simple charts showing the runup in oil prices in mirror-like opposition to the run-down in the value of the dollar: Do Oil Executives Understand Their Industry’s Economics? On Thursday, CEOs from the five … [Read more...]

Here's an interesting talk with Katherine Newman, author of Chutes and Ladders: Navigating the Low-Wage Labor Market. She spent eight years on a study which followed applicants and workers at a large fast-food chain in Harlem in the 90s. … [Read more...]

Every year, the Social Security Trustees issue a report on the financial health of Social Security.  By comparing the projections contained in the 13 annual reports from 1998 through 2010, it is possible to discern what real GDP growth … [Read more...]

Here's a look back at an earlier period of instability in the Middle East. This is how the modern economy swings -- when the floating dollar is inflated for domestic purposes, it has unanticipated effects around the world: When [Saddam … [Read more...]

Many participants here on BMG look to times in the past when tax rates were very high, but which had relative prosperity to the present era. They are making the mistake of viewing our economy as a closed system. In fact, we are in a world … [Read more...]

I have posted before that rising prices could sink Obama in 2012. Here is how I see it going down: The Bush Tax Cuts will be extended. The valuable part of the Bush Tax Cuts were the cuts in investments: dividends from 39.5% down to 15%, … [Read more...]