Political Economy category archive
“Stand and Deliver” 0
Josh Marshall tries to make sense of the Republican Party’s rush to rape the middle and lower classes with its tax bill. A snippet (emphasis added):
The Republican tax deform bill is to the poor and middle class what Harvey Weinstein was to women.
Suffer the Children 0
In related news, Will Bunch comments on Republican profiles in courage:
More courageousness at the link.
How Stuff Works, Legislation Republican Style 0
I submit that, based on their behavior in attempting to get their bills through Congress, a strong argument can be made that Republicans no longer are a “party.” They are a conspiracy.
Via Job’s Anger.
The Galt and the Lamers 0
Paul Krugman tries to make sense of the Republican rush to enrich those who already have more money than they can use. A snippet (emphasis added):
The Mythbegotten 0
At The Bangor Daily News, Gordon L. Well reviews some of the myths and mythrepresentations surrounding the Republican tax deform bill. Here’s a bit of his article:
The tax bill was given careful consideration.In fact, the bill was passed in the House and Senate in a hurry, though there was no need to rush. But the GOP wants at least one big legislative win in 2017 to show it was worth turning the entire federal government over to them.
If merely having a bill was more important than what it contained, they will have succeeded. That approach opened the way to all the special interest deals in the middle of the night.
The Art of the Con 0
Shorter Jay Bookman: Believe what they do, not what they say.
Putting a Price Tag on Climate Change 0
Robert Thorson, a geologist, reports that, even as oil and coal tycoons deny that the climates they are a-changing, the insurance industry is taking action. Naturally, it’s an action that will fix nothing and cost the insured, because it’s all about paying for the risk, not about fixing anything.
Moody’s has already been considering the growing risks of sea level rise and flooding into account in rating coastal properties, particularly those created on filled-in wetlands. It’s now going to do the same regarding government-issued bonds (emphasis added; more at the link).
The fiscally conservative and hazards aware part of me is loving this news because it proclaims an obvious truth that we geologists have taught for a half-century. Easy come, easy go. Lowlands created easily by shallow fill will be the first to go under. We’re talking about our national mall in Washington, D.C., much of the Bay Area in San Francisco, the Florida coastal strip, New York, Boston and countless other cities with large areas of low-lying fill within city limits.
Bait-and-Already-Switched 0
Paul Krugman marvels at the swiftness of the switch.
(snip)
Yet even the most cynical among us are startled both by how quickly the bait-and-switch is proceeding and by the contempt Republicans are showing for the public’s intelligence.
In fact, the switch began even before the marks swallowed the bait.
Follow the link for details.
