Archive for September, 2008

Sep30th2008

Quote Of The Day

“Pelosi screwed up royally.  She is the Democratic Tom DeLay.  Newt Gingrich was an ideologue, but Tom DeLay was simply a partisan, most keenly interested in maximizing his party’s political power.  Pelosi cut a deal in which, as far as I can tell, every single Republican in a safe seat had to vote yes so […]

Sep29th2008

Obama Vs His Economic Advisors On Health Policy

There were undoubtedly many mis-characterizations of the opponents view in Friday nights debate from both sides. But there is one that especially stood out in my mind because it was not only unfair to McCain but it showed how disconnected or dishonest or both Obama was about his own economic advisor’s.
During Friday nights debate Obama […]

Sep26th2008

Who To Vote For? My Analysis

Here is my thought process on who I am voting for and why. I use numerical values to show what is important to me and by how much. It should also be noted that these are my views today, tomorrow they may change.
Barack Obama
Economic Instincts: Obama strikes me as an overall open minded person on […]

Sep23rd2008

Explaining The Financial Mess

For those of you trying to follow what is going on, there is no better place to start than these introductories: here and here, along with commentary by leading economists here.
I will update this post periodically when I find other interesting articles. Enjoy!
Update: Megan McArdle explains the limitations of regulation.
Update: For up-to-the-minute commentary on the […]

Sep23rd2008

The Importance Of Exit In Quality Education

Megan McArdle explains:
One of the central insights of economics is that exit matters.  Markets don’t do better, over the long run, because people in the private sector are smarter or well meaning.  They do better because they can be fired.  What’s more, they frequently are:  firms that don’t satisfy their customers go away.  Look at […]

Sep22nd2008

Quote Of The Day

“Obama’s plan to fix the schools:  more money.  More money for teachers, more teachers, more after school programs.  Absent are any specifics about what the new teachers will do that is any different from what the current teachers are doing that isn’t working.  John McCain doesn’t either, but at least he’s planning to shake up […]

Sep19th2008

Shame On Obama, Says P.T.A. Mom

Sandra Tsing-Loh, a “rabid public school Democrat” is mad that Obama does not sacrifice his children for the sake of Democrat ideals, she writes:
I do not know why Barack and Michelle Obama cannot send their children to a nice public school in Hyde Park. You understand that I am a bit unstable this election season […]

Sep18th2008

Quote Of The Day

“I’d like to stress again that I remain worried about the rule of law in all these events.  First, the referee is on the playing field.  Second, while Dodd and others are on board, basically we have the executive branch of our government — the Treasury — operating without formal checks and balances.  (Does that […]

Sep17th2008

Quote Of The Day

“So the schools have a gigantic, powerful bargaining bloc. Who doesn’t have a bargaining bloc? The kids. Of course, the customers of corporations don’t bargain with unions either–but they have the right of exit, which is what prevents the unions (or their corporate bosses) from turning them upside down and shaking them until […]

Sep16th2008

Obama Vs McCain On Economic Plans

Feldstein and Taylor, professors of economics at, respectively, Harvard and Stanford, and economic advisers to John McCain write in the WSJ:
Tax revenues will increase robustly over the next few years with Mr. McCain’s overall tax strategy as the economy grows — even with conservative economic growth assumptions. And by maintaining strong control over the growth […]

Sep15th2008

Obama On The O’Reilly Factor

If you have not watched it, you should - it really shows how comfortable Obama is with economics and foreign policy and has really put thought into his views. I respect him alot more after watching the video - and you will too.
You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube […]

Sep15th2008

Quote Of The Day

“Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden released 10 years of tax returns Friday…The Bidens’ joint gross income hovered between $215,000 and $320,000 a year during this period…The amount they gave to charity during this period never exceeded one-half of 1% of their annual income. The Bidens never gave more than $995 to charity in […]

Sep12th2008

Quote Of The Day

“People should be more worried than they are by the fragmentation of states. Consider that shortly after World War II, there were around 60 states. Today, there are almost 200. A lot of this increase is due to decolonization, but in recent years, the main cause has been, essentially, ethnic separatism. Because ethnic groups are […]

Sep11th2008

Quote Of The Day

“It occurred to me, with some surprise, that the Obama supporter with whom I was debating actually thought that it was important to determine which of the two candidates was a finer human being. It’s refreshing to be reminded that educated and intelligent people actually think Obama is a better grade of person than […]

Sep10th2008

Top Recipients of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Campaign Contributions

Greg Mankiw reports on the Top Recipients of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Campaign Contributions, 1989-2008:
1. Dodd, Christopher J, D-CT
2. Kerry, John, D-MA
3. Obama, Barack, D-IL
4. Clinton, Hillary, D-NY
N.B.: Senator Dodd is Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Source    Link

Sep10th2008

Community Organization Is A Waste

So said Obama when he was deep in it reports the New Republic:
He told Kellman that he feared community organizing would never allow him “to make major changes in poverty or discrimination.” To do that, he said, “you either had to be an elected official or be influential with elected officials.” In other words, Obama […]