Category Archives: Free markets and their discontents

5 Times Charter School Founders Used Shady Real Estate Deals to Shamelessly Enrich Themselves

A trio of academics compare charter school tactics to Wall Street’s raiders.

Mark Ames: Credit Suisse Decries Russian Inequality After Playing Leading Role in Creating It

Credit Suisse criticizes Russian inequality after having profited handsomely from playing a big role in creating it.

The Fall of the Latin American Left, Part I: Brazil’s Boom and Bust

Discussing why the left in Latin America lost power, starting with Brazil.

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.

Fintech Puts Payday Lending Old Wine in New Bottles

“Fintech” provider Lyric Financial is out to take advantage of financially unsophisticated musicians. Hipness is part of the ruse.

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.

It’s Time to Regulate the Gig Economy

Depicting the gig economy as ‘sharing favours’ creates a parallel dimension, where chores are form of leisure, with no relation to ‘work’.

Why You Can’t Have a Shorter Workweek

A recap of the numerous, internally inconsistent arguments as to why workers can’t have a shorter workweek.

The Caymans: Reputation, Rhetoric, and Reality

How the Caymans compare to other secrecy jurisdictions.

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.

The Failure of Austerity in the Great Recession

More evidence that austerity is a bad idea.

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.