Wednesday, September 24, 2025

How Neoliberal Thinkers Spawned Monsters They Never Imagined

Neoliberal economics rests on a retrograde vision of society.

Links 11/20/19

Democrats’ Private Equity Hearing Fail: Abject Incompetence, Corruption, or Mere Unseriousness?

A House Financial Services Committee hearing on private equity revealed more about the party than about private equity, and in a not good way at that.

The Coup in Bolivia Has Everything to Do With the Screen You’re Using to Read This

The coup in Bolivia as a resource play.

Under Swollen Tides, Venice Says More About Our Future Than Our Past

Venice illustrates how climate change will force a sort of triage upon us, and it won’t be just about our cultural heritage.

Reminder: Birmingham Meetup Tomorrow, Thursday November 21. Hope to See You There!

Our Birmingham meetup is nigh! Please join us!

2:00PM Water Cooler 11/19/2019

Today’s Water Cooler: Trade optimism, Buttigieg, Booker, Sanders, Yang, Iowa poll, another lunatic impeachment witness, Obama legacy, housing, services, Walmart retail v. etail, hacking bounty, slowdown signs, butterflies, soil, hyperosmia, Young Adult literature, economic insecurity for over-65s, FedEx, memory, handwriting

New Report Finds Costs of Climate Change Impacts Often Underestimated

Why most economists considerably underestimate the cost of climate change.

Links 11/19/19

Private Equity Under the Hot Lights Today at House Financial Services Committee Hearing, “America for Sale?”

Private equity gets some long overdue scrutiny.

The Rich Under Stress as Asset Prices Wobble

Some of the rich are feeling the pinch. Is this a passing phenomenon or a sign of things to come?

Why Aren’t Americans Rising Up Like the People of Chile and Lebanon?

Americans are not big on protests, and people abroad are perplexed

2:00PM Water Cooler Special: Warren’s #MedicareForAll Transition Plan Is Set Up to Fail

Warren’s transition plan, like her pay-for plan, introduces unmotivated dependencies that make #MedicareForAll unlikely to pass, charitably from poor political judgment, less charitably because she doesn’t want the bill to pass.

2:00PM Water Cooler 11/18/2019

Today’s Water Cooler: Forever trade war, Iowa polling, Trump, Warren, impeachment, Obama legacy, housing, frack sand collapse, container shipping, aircraft sales, robot cars to increase driving, giant structures in the universe, junk, landfills, more efficient toilets, dentistry, the press, wage theft, Hokusai

Plastics Watch: Recycling, Raccoons, and Rubbish

Even a massive recycling campaign won’t make a dent in the plastics problem, as long as the industry ramps up production; some thoughts on raccoons, and rubbish.