Category Archives: Economics and the like

Recalling The End Of Welfare As We Know It

Posted on December 6, 2005 by Ampersand

A good article in the New York Review of Books reviews the book American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation’s Drive to End Welfare by Jason Deparle. As the article points out, the existing welfare system during Clinton … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like | 14 Comments

Cartoon: Wal-Mart Morality

Posted on November 20, 2005 by Ampersand

My cartoon from the next-to-latest issue of Dollars and Sense… If the art is hard to read, you can view a larger version here.

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Economics and the like | 38 Comments

Growth

Posted on November 18, 2005 by Ampersand

A good point from Kevin Drum: If I could have one wish in arguments about the economy, it would be for the default definition of “growth” to be changed. Normally, it’s taken to mean overall GDP growth, and it’s certainly … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like | 31 Comments

Bradford Plumer on Savings and Debt

Posted on November 11, 2005 by Ampersand

From a post by Bradford Plumer… Looking at the BLS’s 2003 Consumer Survey, the people who save in this country are overwhelmingly wealthy. The bottom income quintile pulls home $8,201 a year before taxes, and spends $18,492. Meanwhile, the top … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like | 53 Comments

Time For A Link Dump

Posted on November 7, 2005 by Ampersand

So many links, so few eyes in my head… Marriage Must Be As Jesus Intended It (Except Divorce, Which Is Cool) Unclaimed Territory, pointing out that some Texans have cited “Christianity” as their reason to oppose same-sex marrige, wonders why … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like, Fat, fat and more fat, Link farms, Race, racism and related issues | Comments Off on Time For A Link Dump

Testing, testing (socialism and fat)

Posted on November 4, 2005 by Ampersand

Another one of those “what is your political ideology” tests, which are weirdly fun to take, despite being predictable. At least this one has a pretty “political ideology” chart. My results are below the fold, but I don’t think it’ll … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like, Fat, fat and more fat, Whatever | 17 Comments

A Frightening First: Health Insurance Costs For Family Exceed Minimum Wage

Posted on September 15, 2005 by Ampersand

A frightening ‘first’ has been acknowledged in a recent Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research Educational Trust. It seems that for the first time in United States history, the cost of health insurance for a family of four now exceeds the yearly income of a minimum wage earner. Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like, Minimum Wage | 60 Comments

The Free Market, The Bald Eagle and the Takings Lawsuit

Posted on August 26, 2005 by Ampersand

Russel Sadler, writing on BlueOregon, describes a “takings” lawsuit: In the Spring of 1998, a logging company named Coast Range Conifers acquired 40 acres of timber known as the Beaver Tract. Subsequently, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee observed … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like | 10 Comments

What Would The World Look Like If…

Posted on July 31, 2005 by Ampersand

I wanted to share an interesting and thought provoking eye-opener about how the world might look if we represented it as 100 people. This idea was inspired by the writings of Donella Meadows, a woman who dedicated her activism to creating models of sustainability, and adapted into a web based mini-film by Allyson Lucca. Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like, International issues, Popular (and unpopular) culture | 4 Comments

Power Line on the Minimum Wage

Posted on July 19, 2005 by Ampersand

While looking for something else, I came across this post on the right-wing blog Power Line, attacking a groundbreaking study of the minimum wage by economists David Card and Alan Krueger. From a summary of the study by John Schmitt … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like, Minimum Wage | 65 Comments