…to stuff in faraway lands. EG, here’s a piece in the NY Daily News wherein I argue that for all the voices proclaiming that Trump’s really nasty and thoroughly mathematically challenged first budget is “dead-on-arrival” in the Congress, that’s unfortunately not quite accurate. Why not? Because “virtually every priority in Trump’s budget is one that Republicans… Read more
Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
ICYMI–WaPo posts
First, Trump’s first full budget is out tomorrow and man, what a mess. Just a massive shift in resources from the poor and middle class through vicious spending cuts to the wealthy in tax cuts. And partially “paid for”–those scare quotes are very important–by a bullsh__ growth assumption of 3%. It’s standard issue, Ryan’esque fare,… Read more
Quick note re GDP Q1 report: Keep your eye on the trend
The economy grew at a slow rate of 0.7 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to this morning’s GDP report. But that low number–headlines stressed that it’s the slowest rate in three years–should be largely discounted. The underlying trend growth rate of the economy remains a moderate, and pretty steady, 2 percent…. Read more
UBI & I
A few weeks ago, Jason Furman and I participated in one of those Intelligence Squared debates on the premise that the Universal Basic Income is the safety net of the future. We were opposed and that has surprised some of my friends and colleagues who figured I would be for a UBI. We’re hoping to… Read more
I see no other option for Senate D’s but to filibuster Gorsuch
In the course of noodling over whether the Senate D’s should filibuster the Gorsuch nomination, I just can’t see why not. I don’t say that lightly. While I’ve been a critical observer of filibuster abuse for a while (so I can’t say I’d miss it), I worry about a less deliberative Senate. But given how… Read more