Political Economy category archive
It’s All about the Algorithm 0
David discusses how YouTube’s changing its algorithm is affecting his business model. I’m posting this because I think it is a telling commentary of the state of media today. Although I find David a sane and reasonable commentator–that’s why I from time to time feature his commentary–part of me agrees with Bob Cesca that we need to “bring back the gatekeepers.”
Numbers Don’t Lie . . . 0
. . . but people do.
Giving America the Business 0
The flaw in the foolish notion that “government should be run like a business” is that government is not a business. The purpose of government is manage the affairs to the state and the polity, not to make and sell a product.
Llewellyn King suggests that Donald Trump is the logical outcome of said notion.
Clearly, Trump thought that was what he would do when he took over the United States. His attempts to govern by fiat illustrate that frustration.
The Rich Are Different from You and Me 0
They get to have their own special brand of “socialism,” only don’t you dare call it that.
Robert Reich explains:
If this isn’t socialism, what is it?
Yet it’s a particular form of socialism.
Follow the link to learn more about this “particular form of socialism.”
How Stuff Works, Banking Dept. 0
Thom’s guest explains how the banking system developed and how it works and why you can’t have an economy without government.
Chartering a Course for Disaster 0
The Des Moines Register looks at Iowa Republicans’ plans for “school choice” and sums them up neatly:
Follow the link for their reasoning.
Aside:
It’s not just in Iowa, folks.
Afterthought:
An educated polity is Republicans’ worst nightmare.
“The Elites Are Clueless” 0
Lawrence R. Jacobs, distinguished professor of political science, is not optimistic. No excerpt or summary can do his article justice.
Just read it.
Budget Bluster 0
Remember, in Republican World, a federal budget deficit is a cause for crocodile fears only when a Democrat is in the White House. Here’s a bit from the AP’s report on the current state of the deficit:
Trump’s 2017 tax cut bears much of the blame, along with sharp increases in spending for both the Pentagon and domestic agencies and the growing federal retirement costs of the baby boom generation. Promises that the tax cut would stir so much economic growth that it would mostly pay for itself have been proved woefully wrong.
Follow the link for the compete article.
The Price of the Polity 0
Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “I like paying taxes. They buy me civilization.”
David addresses the farcical notion that taxation (otherwise known as “paying your fair share”) is theft.
