Category Archives: Uncategorized

Econbrowser: The “Ever-Expanding” Government Sector, Illustrated (Part II). More data on the fact that there  has NOT been a huge expansion of government. That uptick in transfers at the end is mainly unemployment insurance, plus some Medicaid — that is, … Continue reading →

Yglesias » Life Expectancy at 65.

From The Incidental Economist this article about cost growth in Medicare and Social Security. It’s no different for state governments — health care costs eventually dominate.

Ezra Klein – Debunking myths about Canadian health care. “Common knowledge” that Canadians are coming to the US in droves for health care and that Canadian doctors are deserting Canada for better jobs in the US is simply not true.  … Continue reading →

From Ezra Klein “The government is now impeding an economic recovery. But it’s not for the reasons you often hear. It’s not because of debt or because of taxes. Nor has it scared the private sector into timidity. It’s because, … Continue reading →

http://robertreich.org/post/1263581986

If you like astronomy pictures, check out the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) top 100.  Here’s a sample: This is M 83, a spiral galaxy about 15 million light years away, and, at 40,000 light years across, about 2.5 times smaller … Continue reading →

This graphic was published in the New York Times last February.  It is the best depiction  of the budget I have ever seen, but it’s for Obama’s proposed budget.  I’m looking for a similar presentation of the  actual budget.

From Ezra Klein: “The output gap in two graphs” The bottom line:

Ezra Klein agrees with me that now’s the time for investment in infrastructure. Edit: Andrew Samwick seconds Ezra Klein and adds this proverb: “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.  The second best time is today.”