• Adding two points [sic–as in 2% plus 2 points=4%; terrible nerd humor] to the 4%-inflation-target discussion started by the economist Lawrence Ball.
• Discussing the Keystone pipeline and the tar sands oil market.
• Looking at S&P growth during President Obama’s time in office: it’s up 105%.
• Highlighting perverse outcomes of state Medicaid exemptions under the Supreme Court’s ACA decision.
• Revealing the results of our OTE survey on the gender composition of Congress. Drumroll, please…
• Examining China’s attempts to rebalance state and market forces:  a key factor to watch is how much these potential new developments help improve the living standards of the poor and evolving middle class.
• Laying out relative pluses and minuses of potential alternatives for stopping international tax avoidance.
• Noting some facts on the impact of Japan’s aggressive stimulus program to inject $1.4 trillion into the economy over the next two years, including an inconvenient increase in gov’t bond yields.
• Relaying Bob Kuttner’s response to questions I posed in my review of his important new book, “Debtors’ Prison.”
• Presenting part five of the OTE Sequester Watch.
• Considering what can be learned from the Congressional hearing focused on Apple’s extensive tax avoidance.
• Illustrating that SNAP (food stamp) rolls are elevated for a reason.
• Highlighting a simple policy recommendation from Chuck Lane: to keep temporary deficit spending temporary, set triggers based on real variables to shut off your stimulus.
• Looking at the type of overreach that could tilt the delicate balance and scuttle the immigration deal.

Music:  when the punditry overwhelms you, this week’s musical interlude from Mose Allison is a great remedy.