Is There Any Hope for Japan?
The BBC has a story on Japan’s economic situation that is positively depressing. I thought we had it bad here in America, but our problems pale in comparison. A national debt approaching 200% of GDP...
View ArticleIs China the Way of the Future?
Sometimes I wonder whether human beings have the capacity to look beyond their own comfort and self interest when evaluating their own governments. It seems that much of the citizens’ action we see...
View ArticleI’ll Take Europe
The Economist has a rumination on the challenges Europe faces in the year ahead. In the “Charlemagne” column, the author discusses the “failed” Lisbon agenda, set forth in 2000 that imagined a much...
View ArticleLondon: What Recession?
I’m visiting London with my family and I’m struck by the discordance between what I see and what I’ve read about the economic situation in the UK. What I’ve read are account of extreme economic stress...
View ArticleThe Sorry State of Our Public Debate
I sometimes watch Morning Joe on MSNBC while I’m exercising on the elliptical machine. I have to admit that I have a grudging affection for Joe Scarborough. He has a good sense of humor and sometimes...
View ArticleTwo Views of the Irish Economy
Michael Lewis The current issue of Vanity Fair has a very lengthy investigation of the collapse of the Irish economy by Michael Lewis, author of a number of lively accounts of the dismal science of...
View ArticleKey Quotes from UK on Fiscal Union
“I said before coming to Brussels that if I couldn’t get adequate safeguards for Britain in a new European treaty, then I wouldn’t agree to it. What is on offer isn’t in Britain’s interests, so I...
View ArticleEconomists on Obama
Interesting AP story that polled economists gave Obama a mediocre grade for his economic performance. The critiques were varied, but what is striking is not one seems to have criticized him for...
View ArticleThe State of the Union
As expected, President Obama focused heavily on the economy in his 4th State of the Union address. While his tone was moderate and collaborative, he argued forcefully for an agenda that Republicans...
View ArticleThe Chinese Work Ethic
Today’s New York Times has a front page story on a family in China struggling to protect their future. It is a very sad story in that it depicts their extraordinary struggle to provide an education...
View Article