Author Archives: Yves Smith

The Caymans: Reputation, Rhetoric, and Reality

How the Caymans compare to other secrecy jurisdictions.

Big US Banks Make Laughable Excuses for Preserving Failed Universal Bank Model

Count on the banks to keep trotting out tired excuses for their too-big-to-faill ways.

How the Greediest Charter School Operators Loot Taxpayers Via Real Estate Deals

An interview with professor Preston Green, whose study found that the most aggressive charter school operators are using Enron-like tactics.

Corruption at CalPERS: General Counsel Matt Jacobs as Exemplar of Culture of Casual Lying

A spotlight on General Counsel Matt Jacobs as a prime example of what is wrong at CalPERS.

The Failure of Austerity in the Great Recession

More evidence that austerity is a bad idea.

The Overlooked Past Behind U.S.-North Korea Tensions & How South Korea Could Forge Peace

Some history on the hostilities between the US and North Korea, and how that plays into the recent escalation of tensions.

More Evidence That Charter Schools Are a Taxpayer Ripoff That Delivers Poor Results

A damning new report from California shows that charter schools are a grift that profits investors at the expense of taxpayers and children.

Dirt as a Carbon Sink?

Could dirt be a magic bullet in the fight to reduce carbon levels?

How Land Disappeared from Economic Theory

Why the removal of land from economic theory is a glaring oversight.

Links 4/12/17

United Passenger “Removal”: A Reporting and Management Fail

The reporting on United’s aggressive removal of Dr. David Dao has been misleading and also neglected the depth of management lapses.

It’s Not the Gig Economy, Stupid

Why the decline in labor unions has had a bigger impact on the fallen state of wage workers than the much ballyhooed gig economy.

Wolf Richter: Wild Housing Speculation Drives Entire Canadian Economy

Canadian housing continues on its relentless rise because too many people can’t afford to have it stop.

Embracing the Silver Economy

Does the silver economy, meaning one where the over 65 age cohort is growing faster than other age groups, have a silver lining?

Links 4/11/17