Author Archives: Yves Smith

The Automation Grift: From Flying Cars to Ordering Cat Food on the Internet – Part 2

Why claims for automation getting rid of workers are greatly exaggerated.

America is Regressing into a Developing Nation for Most People

Like developing countries, America is becoming more stratified, with the economic and physical distance between rich and poor widening.

Links 4/21/17

Too Little, Too Late Lawsuit Against Predatory Servicer Ocwen Demonstrates Failure to Address Servicing Abuses

Recidivist mortgage servicer Ocwen gets whacked by the officialdom yet again, showing how inadequate mortgage “reforms” under Obama were.

The Amazon.com Effect: Retailers Say They’re Not Selling, but Consumers Report They Are Buying

Are retail sales understated because online retailers aren’t fully captured in the data?

Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Suits Become Favored Hedge Fund Investment

ISDS suits are increasingly getting financial backing from speculators like hedge funds.

Mexico’s Economy Is Being Plundered Dry

Some vignettes of Mexico as a failed state.

Health Care “Reform” by Insiders Who Benefit from the Status Quo: Media Fails to Report Conflicts of Interest

Quelle surprise! The press regularly presents highly paid, well-connected health care insiders as independent voices on “reform”.

13 Questions That Expose Charter School Falsehoods

The sales pitch made by charter school boosters does not hold up to scrutiny.

Against False Arrogance of Economic Knowledge

The shortcomings of economic reasoning are well known, yet mainstream practitioners embrace and defend them.

Californians! Please Write Today to Support Public Access to Government Records

California government bodies regularly thwart public requests for government documents. Write today to support a bill to curb those abuses.

Bill Black: Dodd-Frank Was Designed to Fail – and Trump Will Make it Worse

More confirmation that Dodd-Frank was never intended to do more than make marginal changes in bank regulation to forestall real reform.

How to Keep Losing Wars in the Middle East

The US game plan for the Middle East seems to be not just more wars, but losing more wars.

More Brexit Miscalculations: UK Can Have Industrial Policy Only With Hard Brexit

The UK government wants industrial policy reforms that are incompatible with EU rules. Those rules would apply save in a hard Brexit.