Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Links 8/20/2020

Journey into a Libertarian Future: Part II – The Strategy

Where you wind up when you take libertarian ideas to their logical conclusion…..

How Dairy Monopolies Keep Milk Off the Shelves

How consolidation in dairy processing has led to overproduction of milk and dumping.

Apollo’s Leon Black, Found in Serial Child Rapist Jeffrey Epstein’s Black Book, Patronized Strip Club in Russia With Trump

Apollo’s Leon Black needs to develop better taste in friends.

2:00PM Water Cooler 8/19/2020

~ Water Cooler ~

Fiscal Austerity and the Rise of the Nazis

Local economic data and election results in Weimar Germany shows that more acute austerity led to more Nazi support.

Links 8/19/2020

Fed Economists Finger Monopoly Concentration as Underlying Driver of Neoliberal Economic Restructuring; Barry Lynn in Harpers and Fortnite Lawsuit Put Hot Light on Tech Monopoly Power

Some good work on monopoly is marred by the bizarre inclusion of Uber. Its predatory pricing is the result of deep pockets and ideology, not potential market power.

As Courts Re-Open, Britain’s Renters Must Confront the Power of Landlords

Renters and landlords need to come to terms in the Covid-19 new normal. But it’s not shaping up to be pretty.

Has CalPERS Come Clean With Its Board Over Pending $500 Million Carlyle Deal, Tainted by Ownership of Carlyle Shares by Departed CIO Ben Meng?

CalPERS needs to come clean about its Ben Meng mess. A pending Carlyle transaction shows it’s still in cover-up mode.

2:00PM Water Cooler 8/18/2020

~ Today’s Water Cooler ~

Mortgage Delinquencies Jump by Most Ever. 60-Day Delinquencies Hit Highest Level Ever. Record 16% of FHA Mortgages Delinquent. What a Mess

A spike in mortgage delinquencies says more bad results are coming, particularly with no new stimulus in sight.

Links 8/18/2020

Grim Future of Cities: State’s Growing Budget Hole Threatens New York City Jobs, Services

The New York City budget hole is getting bigger. How much of a harbinger is this for other US cities?

Major General Dennis Laich: Pentagon Needs a Bad Guy

Retired General Dennis Laich gives some insight into America’s permanent war policy.