Obama’s Bogus Case for Tax Fairness

{ Posted on Jan 27 2012 by Sheldon Richman }
In his State of the Union speech Tuesday night President Obama played the fairness card in calling for higher taxes on upper-income people. He said: [W]e need to change our tax code so that people like me, and an awful lot of Members of ...Read More »

2010-2011 Originations Best Default History on Record; Delinquencies Down 25% from Highs, Foreclosure Inventory Near Peak Level

{ Posted on Jan 27 2012 by Mike "Mish" Shedlock }
Categories : All, Globaleconomicanalysis
Here are a couple of interesting charts from the LPS Mortgage Monitor, January 2012 Mortgage Performance Observations report. Data as of December, 2011 Month-end. click on any chart for sharper image Originations Decline Government Responsible for Most Refinance Activity Quality of ...Read More »

Wealth and Income Appendix

{ Posted on Jan 27 2012 by Jazzbumpa }
Tags :
Categories : All, Angry Bear, income, jazzbumpa
 In this post, earlier today, I forgot to link to this article over at Naked Capitalism. The salient point is, that specifically for investors, spending is related exclusively to income, never to wealth. It goes on to posit that QE and monetary ...Read More »

Remembering Howard Zinn

{ Posted on Jan 27 2012 by Dan Crawford (Rdan) }
Categories : All, Angry Bear
Noam Chomsky writes on the anniversary of Howard Zinn's death: Howard's remarkable life and work are summarised best in his own words. His primary concern, he explained, was "the countless small actions of unknown people" that lie at the roots of ...Read More »

Set Your Refrigerator to the Warmest Setting (26/365)

{ Posted on Jan 27 2012 by Trent }
Let’s cut straight to the chase. The sweet spot for any refrigerator is between 39 and 40 F. This is the temperature at which bacterial growth is inhibited but the difference between your refrigerator and the ambient temperature ...Read More »

Economies Need a Gardener’s Invisible Hand

{ Posted on Jan 27 2012 by Steve Roth }
Categories : All, Angry Bear, Steve Roth
I haven’t posted on Nick Hanauer and Eric Liu’s stuff, and I should have, long ago. Nick, along with Bill Gates Senior, was one of the big proponents of the Washington State high-earner income tax initiative a while back (which ...Read More »

The Political Cowardice of Barack Obama

{ Posted on Jan 27 2012 by Steven Greenhut }
Now, a return to the American values of fair play and shared responsibility will help protect our people and our economy. But it should also guide us as we look to pay down our debt and invest in our future.—President Barack Obama, State ...Read More »

U.S. GDP: not a recession, but still not very encouraging

{ Posted on Jan 27 2012 by James Hamilton }
The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported today that U.S. real GDP grew at an annual rate of 2.8% during the fourth quarter of 2011. That's better than any of the previous 5 quarters, which tells you more about how ...Read More »

GDP on Recession Track; Real GDP +2.8%, Misses Estimates; Inventory Replenishment Accounts for 1.9 Percentage Points; Five-Year Treasury Yield Hits Record Low

{ Posted on Jan 27 2012 by Mike "Mish" Shedlock }
Categories : All, Globaleconomicanalysis
The headline real GDP number of 2.8% does not sound too bad until you dig beneath the surface. A full 1.9 percentages points of that 2.8% was inventory replenishment. Real GDP vs. a year ago is +1.6% and that is ...Read More »

Machines Replacing Humans: They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

{ Posted on Jan 27 2012 by Steve Roth }
Categories : All, Angry Bear, Steve Roth
Eric Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAffee have a new Kindle instant book out, Race Against the Machine, that very nicely describes the issues related to technological unemployment. It’s well-written, content-packed, cogently argued, usefully hyperlinked, and well worth the $3.99 they’re asking. But ...Read More »