I think this is the image I’ll remember from the debt ceiling trainwreck of 2011.
Lawrence Summers says we’re facing a 1 in 3 chance of a double dip recession.
With congressional Republicans inflexible on starving the economy of any fiscal strategies to create jobs, this looks very bad, both economically and politically.
Back in the ’80s and ’90s the big argument I remember hearing on the fiscal policy front was that using fiscal policy (ie., spending) to dig the country out of a recession was inefficient since by the time you could get productive spending online (as opposed to the shock-absorber effect of unemployment insurance, etc.) the business-cycle would be pulling the country out of recession. So the spending would be unneeded, possibly inflationary and just add to the debt. With a normal cyclical downturn there may be some logic to that. After all, Keynes never figured you do away with the business cycle entirely. Read More
RNC Chair and Wisconsinite Reince Priebus tells reporters nothing much to see of interest in the Wisconsin senate recall elections scheduled next week.
Lawsuit filed against Minnesota high school where students held “Wigger Wednesday” in which white students dress in stereotypically African-American gear/clothes and a fun time, surprisingly, was not had by all.
Hard cider it ain’t. But Rick Santorum is planning on handing out free jelly to supporters at this month’s Iowa straw poll.