Mini is apparently the new thing in popular economics. Tyler Cowen’s new mini-book is getting lots of attention from the blogosphere. And econ-crooner Merle Hazard has released a set of mini-songs about the European debt crisis. Best so far is Ode to Germany: For more, click on over to Paul Solman’s page at the PBS [...]
Archive for January, 2011
Ode to Germany, a Mini-Song by Merle Hazard
Posted in Economy, International, tagged Europe, Germany, Humor on January 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Treasury Takes Step 1 in Avoiding the Debt Ceiling
Posted in Finance, tagged Bonds, Debt, Treasury on January 27, 2011 | 3 Comments »
As expected, Treasury has announced that it will allow the $200 billion Supplemental Financing Program to run down to only $5 billion; that will save $195 billion of borrowing authority under the current debt ceiling: Treasury Issues Debt Management Guidance on the Supplementary Financing Program 1/27/2011 WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Assistant [...]
One Man’s Cost is Another Man’s Income
Posted in Budget, Health, tagged Budget, Health on January 22, 2011 | 5 Comments »
The latest must-read New Yorker piece by Atul Gawande describes recent efforts to cut costs and improve quality by coordinating patient care – in particular that of the most expensive patients. In “The Hot Spotter” (gated), he follows several innovators, including Rushika Fernandopulle, who directs a clinic-based program in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Fernandopulle and his [...]
What is Health Care Reform?
Posted in Budget, Politics, tagged Budget, CBO, Health, Politics on January 21, 2011 | 8 Comments »
Health care reform increases the federal deficit over the next ten years. The health care reform legislation, however, reduces the deficit. Greg Mankiw set off a vigorous discussion in the blogosphere (see, e.g., Ezra Klein, Clive Crook, and the Austin Frakt) with a provocative analogy about health care reform: I have a plan to reduce the [...]
Panda Prices Plummet
Posted in Nature, tagged Humor, Pandas on January 19, 2011 | 2 Comments »
In another sign of deflationary pressures, the Washington Post’s Michael Ruane reports that panda prices have plummeted: The National Zoo has reached an agreement with China to extend for five years the stay of Washington’s beloved black and white bears at a dramatically reduced cost. … The old $1 million-a year, 10-year lease expired Dec. [...]
Geithner Won’t Default on the Public Debt
Posted in Budget, Politics, tagged Budget, Debt, Deficit, Politics on January 19, 2011 | 6 Comments »
In a guest column at CNN Money, I argue that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner won’t allow us to default on the public debt even if Congress fails to increase the debt ceiling: America reached two dubious milestones in recent weeks. Our national debt, including Social Security obligations, has run up to nearly $14 trillion. That’s a [...]
Europe and the Financial Crisis
Posted in Economy, Finance, International, Macroeconomics, tagged Finance, International, Macroeconomics on January 16, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Over the New York Times Magazine, Paul Krugman has today’s must-read economics article on the fate of Europe. (Today’s in the physical world; it’s been up electronically for several days.) Krugman walks through various ways that struggling Eurozone members might adjust to their ongoing financial crisis. Along the way, he emphasizes a key point: American [...]
Handicapping the Debt Limit Debate
Posted in Budget, Politics, tagged Budget, Debt, Politics on January 14, 2011 | 9 Comments »
Sometime this spring, Congress will vote to increase the debt ceiling. That vote won’t come easy. Newly ascendant House Republicans will threaten to withhold needed votes unless significant spending cuts or budget process reforms are attached to the measure. Democrats will denounce Republicans for threatening the government’s ability to pay its bills. And Treasury Secretary [...]
Curation versus Search
Posted in Internet, Technology, tagged Curation, Google, Search, Twitter on January 12, 2011 | 1 Comment »
I love Twitter (you can find me at @dmarron). Indeed, I spend much more time perusing my Twitter feed than I do on Facebook. But it’s not because I care about Kanye West’s latest weirdness (I followed him for about eight hours) or what Katy Perry had for lunch. No, the reason I love Twitter is that [...]
Federal Reserve Earned $81 Billion in 2010
Posted in Budget, Finance, Macroeconomics, tagged Budget, Federal Reserve, Finance on January 11, 2011 | 2 Comments »
The Federal Reserve system is doing its part to cut the budget deficit. The central bank earned $81 billion in fiscal 2010, of which a bit more than $78 billion will be remitted to the Treasury. That’s $31 billion more than last year. According to the Fed’s news release yesterday, the following items drove profits: $76.2 billion [...]
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