Political Economy category archive
Nose. Spite. Face. 0
Paul Krugman discusses the economic divide that powers Trumpery and Republicanism. He points out how voting for Donald Trump and his enablers and sycophants is likely to have precisely the opposite effect that his supporters desire. A snippet:
This, of course, is why the Republican Party focuses so much on cultural issues and the politics of hate. They know their economic goals cannot pass muster.
Follow the link for the complete article.
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*That is, between poorer and richer states after the Depression and up till Reaganomics.
Trumpling Amazon 0
At El Reg, Kieran McCarthy deconstructs Donald Trump’s tirades against Amazon. A snippet:
Not that Amazon pays a large sum as a percentage of profits. According to an extensive market analysis of the company last year, Amazon pays an overall 13 per cent in federal, state and local taxes. This is much lower than the average large company – which pays around 27 per cent – so you can imagine why Trump is furious.
If, that is, you ignore his persistent calls for a 15 per cent corporate tax rate.
Full disclosure: I am not a fan of Amazon and its attempt to assimilate American retail. I avoid using it as much as possible, but I do use it from time to time, primarily for books.
“Whatever You Say, Boss” 0
Paul Krugman notes a disturbing trend (one among many) at Donald Trump’s White House: The devolution of “advisers” into “yes-men.” The article focuses on Trump’s economic adviser, Peter Navarro.
Here’s a bit (emphasis added):
What Is the Common Good? 0
Thom answers a caller’s question.
Remember, in Republican World, There Is No Such Thing as the “Common Good.” 0
Ben Sprage reveals the con hidden (not very skillfully) in Donald Trump’s “infrastructure” plan:
Consumer Predation Agency 0
The Trumpling continues.
Watchdog groups are up in arms because, under Mulvaney, the CFPB has put on hold a rule that would restrict payday lenders and their high-interest-rate loans. The agency has also dropped a lawsuit against online lenders charging 900 percent interest rates. Critics say these moves are payback for campaign contributions to Mulvaney when he was a congressman representing South Carolina.
Much more at the link.
When Government Refuses to Govern, One More Time 0
The Republican Party controls the Congress and the White House (though, in the case of the latter, “controls” may not be the correct term). They got no one else to blame, but, natch, they will certainly blame away, blame away, blame away, Dixiel–sorry, got distracted. I wonder whatever it may be about Republicans that led me to free-associate to that tune?
Via.
The Five Legs of a Trumpled Stool 0
Bobby Azarian analyzes the news and suggests five psychological traits that characterize Donald Trump’s core supporters.
Note that these are technical terms and may not necessarily mean what they would in normal parlance. For example, “relative deprivation” does not mean that some is deprived; rather, it means that he or she thinks he or she is deprived relative to some other group (say, for example, black folks or millennials, whatever they are).
Here’s the thumbnail; follow the link for a discussion of each one.
- 1. Authoritarian Personality Syndrome
- 2. Social dominance orientation
- 3. Prejudice
- 4. Intergroup contact
- 5. Relative deprivation
Misdirection Play, Oligarchical Predation Dept. 0
Thom discusses the sleight-of-underhand political strategy of the proponents of oligarchy.