Hall Monitor Again

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I assure folks that the last thing I have a desire to do is to censor or monitor comments, but despite receiving a heartfelt plea from several commenters that their behavior would get an upgrade and that they would work to contribute to a more constructive atmosphere here, some have slipped into old habits —…

New Economic Thinking Conference to Shatter Illusion of Control

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(Steve Clemons and Joseph Stiglitz sitting in the private apartments of John Maynard Keynes, Kings College, Cambridge University; April 2010; photo credit: Leif Pagrotsky) Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz and I attended last year one of those conferences that decades from now historical societies will note with a marker on the wall.

James Madison: War, Debt, Taxies, Armies & More Debt

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As more of a Hamiltonian, I always feel a bit of a rankle when something Madisonian arises, but writer and libertarian blogger Doug Bandow emailed me his thoughts on Libya, the email footer of which was this important James Madison comment: Of all the enemies of true liberty, war is, perhaps, the most to be…

Iraq Fragmenting Once Again?

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Al Arabiya is reporting that Iraq’s Christian members of parliament are demanding to be allowed to form an autonomous area in the northern province of Mosul. This may seem like it’s a good idea.

Dean Baker Gut Punches the Ryan Medicare Plan

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It’s a pdf — and it’s really wonky — but the tenacious numbers cruncher Dean Baker, has written up a serious study of the economic impact of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s plans for Medicare. The CEPR paper, titled “The Ryan Medicare Plan: Winners and Losers” was co-written by Dean Baker and David Rosnick….