Hillary Clinton, Pre-2016, Gingerly Addresses ObamaCare Debacle, Supports “Evidence-Based” Changes
OK, let’s talk about “evidence-based” just for one second.
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Obama Administration May Open Up Atlantic to Seismic Testing
Yves here. Another entry in the “What could go wrong?” category.
Read more...We Sue CalPERS Over Denial of Our Private Equity Public Records Act Request
[Yves asked me to sticky this — lambert]
Although it’s probably sensible to expect a public agency to resist providing information in response to a Freedom of Information Act filing, the lengths to which CalPERS has gone to mislead and obfuscate in trying to thwart my efforts is quite remarkable, particularly since some of the moves CalPERS staff took are in violation of CalPERS’ own procedures.
Read more...Vermont Citizens Push to Form a State Bank, But Will Ratings Agencies Kill the Idea?
Martha R wrote to tell me that a serious effort is underway in Vermont to launch a state bank.
Read more...Gaius Publius: Are Democrats who Propose Cuts to Social Security “Stupid” or Just Doing Risk-Analysis?
Are austerity-promoting Democrats stupid or evil?
Read more...Philip Pilkington: James Galbraith’s ‘The Predator State’ – A Testament to Our Turbulent and Troubled Era
Yves here. I’m a huge fan of Jamie Galbraith’s book The Predator State. Aaron Swartz wrote a good recap. Pilkington, who is also keen about the book, uses it to raise a different set of issues: how it reveals the deep-seated impediments to having well-informed public discussions about economic issues.
Read more...Quelle Surprise! Banks Are Opposed to More Liquid Markets When They Don’t Make Enough From Them
Bloomberg has an intriguing story about a bit of lobbying the big dealer banks are engaged in via a group called the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee, which represents 15 out of the total of 22 primary dealers (a primary dealer, among other things, gets to bid for its own account at Treasury bond auctions). Of course, the object of their efforts is to improve their profitability, here by putting parties they regard as competitors at more of a disadvantage.
Read more...Don Quijones: Corporate Colonialism – Winners and Losers of Global ‘Free’ Trade
I think of globalisation as a light which shines brighter and brighter on a few people, and the rest are in darkness, wiped out
Read more...Randy Wray: MMT and External Constraints
To fix or to float, that is the question.
Read more...Hudson/Sommers: Western Media Predictably Minimizes Russia’s Sochi Accomplishments
The Sochi Olympics were the great success Russia hoped for.
Read more...Determined Ignorance on Climate Change: Still Impervious to Facts
Climate change is a hard policy question to address because it pits those who believe in evidence against those committed to knowing as little as possible.
Read more...Yanis Varoufakis: Can the Internet Democratize Capitalism?
Yves here. Trust me, you must read this post. In its entirety. Varoufakis discusses the operation of “liberal democracy” as opposed to “classical democracy,”. and argues that voter apathy is a feature, not a bug. But the real meat is in his discussion of how the economic rights of laborers has changed over time and how that has had profound implications for democracy.
Read more...Will a $10 Minimum Wage Get All Working Americans Out of Poverty?
Yves here. This Real News Network segment discusses what many readers know all too well, that even a $10 minimum wage fails to provide an adequate standard of living, particularly for parents.
Read more...Matt Stoller: “Free Trade” Pacts Were Always About Weakening Nation-States to Promote Rule by Multinationals
Yves here. I hope those of you who are in countries being browbeaten to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership or the TransAtlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will circulate this post widely.
Read more...NC Reader Smacks Down Consumer Reports on Medicaid Clawback Advice
It’s fun to see someone who got themselves in a hole keep digging deeper.
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