Political Economy category archive
Economic Indicators, It’s Bubblelicious Dept. 0
House-flipping is on the rise again.
Social Engineering 0
At The Nation, Edward Burmila looks at the social assumptions underlaying the Republican tax deform bill. A snippet:
I think not having the estate tax recognizes the people that are investing, as opposed to those that are just spending every darn penny they have, whether it’s on booze or women or movies.
Upon first reading, I knew I had seen this comment somewhere before. It turns out Grassley was channeling the British economist Thomas Malthus in his seminal Essay on the Principle of Population (1798):
The labouring poor, to use a vulgar expression, seem always to live from hand to mouth. Their present wants employ their whole attention, and they seldom think of the future. Even when they have an opportunity of saving they seldom exercise it, but all that is beyond their present necessities goes, generally speaking, to the ale house.
Malthus spoke to a common mindset among the upper classes that the poor were beyond help. Poverty, it was widely believed, was a sign of a weakness, . . .
Via Gin and Tacos.
Tit for Tat 0
Jay Bookman offers a theory as to why the Republican Party went all in for the tax deform bill. A snippet:
In related news, Robert Reich runs the numbers.
“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):
