Category Archives: Economics

Human Rights, and Those Who Would Restrict Them

It’s been 76 years since the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in America, conservatives prevent or keep trying to reverse many of those rights; Example of their latest bugaboo: transgenders; How Trump’s cabinet picks would please Putin, whose … Continue reading

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Economics vs. Intuition and Common Sense

I missed posting yesterday because there was a Locus Foundation meeting (via Zoom) that began at 3pm my time and ran until 5:30pm, right through my blogging hour. At 5:30 it was time to get ready for dinner with my … Continue reading

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The Anticipation of Unintended Consequences

Many are predicting that the new administration’s plans, especially concerning deportations and tariffs, will backfire and wreck the economy, or at least raise prices in ways they apparently cannot anticipate. But one guesses that the Republicans will not admit it … Continue reading

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Other Shoes Falling

The pundits (and the Democrats) have been warning people about the potential consequences of Trump’s planned policies for months, if not years. Most people see higher grocery prices and don’t care about all those theoretical consequences. Paul Krugman explains why … Continue reading

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Lessons and Narratives

Everyone has theories and lessons to be drawn from the election results; Robert Reich rejects several and offers his own; The focus on the current economy is just another example of short-term thinking, at the expense of bigger issues; Disinformation … Continue reading

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César Hidalgo, WHY INFORMATION GROWS

Subtitled “The Evolution of Order, from Atoms to Economies” (Basic Books, 2015, xxi + 232 pp, including 51pp of acknowledgements, notes, and index) A few weeks ago I sat down to read the new Yuval Noah Harari book, NEXUS, and … Continue reading

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Capitulating: Obeying in Advance

Reactions to the withheld endorsements for president by LAT and WaPo from Robert Reich, Heather Cox Richardson, and John Scalzi; John Kelly’s definition of fascism; How the working class is so concerned about inflation, focusing only on their own personal … Continue reading

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The Real Trump Mystery, and My Explanation

Thomas B. Edsall on The Real Trump Mystery, and how base human nature explains this; Fareed Zakaria on how Trump’s economic ideas would stunt growth and spur inflation; Because Trump doesn’t understand money; Short items about Roseanne Barr accusing Democrats … Continue reading

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Utopias, Dystopias, and Tribalism

Follow-up to yesterday’s topic about utopias and dystopias, and Star Trek; How Trump and Vance have no idea about the reasons for Obamacare; Robert Reich on how Trump appeals to base hatefulness; Charles M. Blow on Trump’s bigger agenda; And … Continue reading

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Alarmism About Culture

A disgruntled French intellectual on “deculturation” sounds a lot like MAGA; Shorter items about how a mother died due to Georgia’s abortion ban; how conservatives see everything they don’t like is a judgement from their God; how Trump supporters are … Continue reading

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