Matt Yglesias has a piece today about how the current state of the bond market permits profitable leveraged buyouts. The interest rates on junk bonds have now dipped below the rate of return for the S&P 500 as a whole. So, if someone was able to put it together, they could raise a bunch of… Continue reading How to socialize finance tomorrow
Members of Congress with student debt
I ran across an interesting piece from Open Secrets on members of Congress with student debt. At one point, the article lists the top ten student loan debtors in Congress. Because information about members of Congress tends to be more public, I thought it would be interesting to run down the background details of these… Continue reading Members of Congress with student debt
Amartya Sen: what is a human right?
I do not usually go for political arguments that talk about rights, but I also do not recoil in anger when people make them. I understand discussion of rights is a common language people have, and it helps many people express their ideas. One of the key questions in that discussion of course is what… Continue reading Amartya Sen: what is a human right?
Think deeply about what closing the achievement gap requires
The achievement gap refers to the gap in educational outcomes between rich and poor kids (and sometimes among white and non-white students). The education reform movement is all about closing that gap. I am skeptical that marginally altering the schooling environment will do much on that front, but we can leave that skepticism aside for… Continue reading Think deeply about what closing the achievement gap requires
The Reagan Myth
If you watch Fox News or listen to any conservative pundits, you will hear about Reagan on an almost daily basis, usually in reference to his economic success. Generally, the liberal pundit response is very underwhelming. At worst, you get some mention of deficits (which were of course high under Reagan) and at best you… Continue reading The Reagan Myth