I am always impressed by the way common words and phrases prevent substantive discussion of important issues. The phrase that is currently getting on my nerves is “good for the economy.” What exactly is good for the economy? The economy is after all an abstraction, a way that we describe systems of production and distribution… Continue reading What is good for the economy?
Changing my blogging style
So far I have been mainly trying to produce pieces that are consistent with the usual newspaper and magazine styles of opinion writing. I have decided that this style has too much downside and almost no upside. It takes a significant amount of time to stylize it in that manner. Unless you are really interested… Continue reading Changing my blogging style
On the Education Reform Movement
The Education Reform Movement is hot. Donors have lavished money on projects like Teach For America, including $49 million from the Walton Family Foundation and a $100 million endowment from four other philanthropists. Media outlets and publishers have almost unanimously provided positive coverage and angles for those in the movement, the most notable instance being… Continue reading On the Education Reform Movement
Exclusive interview with Dean Baker on making markets progressive
I did an email interview with Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research over at The Firebrand. Check it out.
Getting serious about health care costs
I wrote previously about the myth of Social Security insolvency. Conservative politicians — pretending to be fiscal realists who understand we must make difficult decisions to cut aid to the elderly — have been trying for decades to get rid of the program on trumped on charges that it cannot be sustained. Although the conservative… Continue reading Getting serious about health care costs