The Painful Arithmetic of Greek Debt Default
“Αλλοίμονο πού κλαίγανε καί δέν ήξευραν τί λέγανε. “Shame to those that cry and do not know the reason why.” – Ancient Greek ProverbBecoming part of the euro zone was a big commitment for Greece. It...
View ArticleThe FHA and Federal Housing Policy
Ezra Klein claims that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now back 97 out of every 100 mortgages.Strictly speaking, this is incorrect. Presumably, Ezra is referring to this story in the Wall Street Journal by...
View ArticleObama Nominates Lew to head OMB
Today, President Obama named the man he intends to nominate to replace outgoing OMB Director, Peter Orzag: Jacob Lew. Lew previously held the post under President Clinton and is currently serving as a...
View ArticleA Reader’s Guide to the 2012 Budget
Click here for a printer-friendly version of this article.The Debt ChallengeThe President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility called this our national “Moment of Truth” arguing:We cannot...
View ArticleUnderstanding The Stimulus Debate: It’s Not 2001 Anymore
Federal policy makers are currently battling multiple problems on the domestic front, prominently including both unsustainable budget deficits and a stubbornly sluggish economy. These simultaneous ills...
View ArticleA Look Back at 2011: Congress and White House Edition
Just over a year ago, Republicans won the midterm election in a landslide. They picked up a historic number of seats in the House of Representatives, substantially narrowed the Democratic majority in...
View ArticleKey Variables in Stopping the Downturn
This piece was originally written for Encima Global.Our September pieces focused on three crunch points that were pointing to a slowdown and a market top: the U.S. year-end tax increase, likely...
View ArticlePrinciples For Regulatory Rationality
[This is the third in a multi-part series on streamlining government services. See part 1 here. See part 2 here.]The progressives and muckrakers undoubtedly had it right at the turn of the 20th...
View ArticlePrice Gouging Laws Extended Sandy's Pain
A year ago Hurricane Sandy battered the Northeast in a way never seen before and, we hope, never to be seen again. Thankfully, due to hard work from first responders, bridges were quickly reopened....
View ArticleCalvin Coolidge Transformed the Economy—Can We?
Next Tuesday, the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation will host its first annual New York City Dinner at the Four Seasons Restaurant. The guest speaker will be former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul...
View ArticleAll Aboard the Amtrak Albatross
A major snowstorm hits the Northeast. Flights are cancelled, roads are impassable. What better time to showcase the advantages of rail, with a dedicated track and electric cars?Yet on Thursday, two...
View ArticleFracking Saves Water?
A common criticism of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is that it wastes water. Los Angeles just became the largest U.S. city to vote to ban fracking. One of the main justifications was water...
View ArticlePutting Out Market Fires With North American Oil
Teaser: Recent turmoil and violence in Iraq are raising concerns of even higher gas prices at the start of the summer driving season.This article originally appeared in RealClearEnergy.com.Recent...
View ArticleEmotional Storms Are No Response for Disasters
Teaser: Americans nurse their own very private and personal storm of emoto-thoughts when it comes to natural disasters. We want to do something, so we look for theories that support action.This article...
View ArticleObamaphones: Corporate Welfare Gone Mobile
Teaser: Some telecom companies are mobilizing political marketing machines in Washington to silence discussion on eliminating Lifeline, which has grown into a billion-dollar fiasco. Lifeline has been...
View ArticleFederal Agency: Union Conducted Unfair Labor Practices Against Its Own Members
Teaser: An independent federal agency has found that the National Treasury Employees Union conducted “unfair labor practices” against its own union members. The unfair treatment at NTEU is a symptom of...
View ArticleTime to Lift the Ban on Crude Oil Exports
Teaser: This week Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said she would push this year for legislation to end the United States’ export ban on crude oil. “We...
View ArticleHurricanes, Katrina, and Facts
Teaser: It was as predictable as sunrise that climate advocates would use the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina for propaganda purposes.It was as predictable as sunrise that climate advocates would...
View ArticleHigh Frequency Trading Needs Information, Not Regulation
Teaser: The prospect of losing or gaining millions of dollars in a few seconds makes the stock market doubly spectacular and terrifying. Now, transactions that used to take traders a few minutes (or...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....