No, not that Norm. Everyone knows his name. When will the madness end? There is an article on Yahoo Finance today citing Larry Summers’ and Paul Krugman’s assertions that the US economy isn’t slow to recover, it’s in a “permanent … Continue reading →
The following essay is a guest post from Island Dweller. We remind our readers that you are welcome to submit your thoughts either as an email or as a complete essay. A certain well-known radio talk show host this afternoon … Continue reading →
Island Dweller checks in on employment. Data posted today on the web indicates at least one sector of the economy is experiencing an employment boom, with numbers of these employees increasing 18 percent since 2009. The employees I mention contribute … Continue reading →
Sometimes it is not good to be the Czar. For example, he is helping his sainted mother translate some paperwork from her father, and needless to say, penmanship was pretty bad in that century. One can hardly tell a ѣ … Continue reading →
During the debate, President Obama crowed that he did not raise taxes on 97% of small business owners. Mitt Romney explained to him, to the Presidents obvious discomfort, that the 3% who suffered the tax hike actually are responsible for … Continue reading →
Operative DT writes in: Oh Hirsute One, I apologize for my infrequent updates. The myrmidons are coming along well, though your suggested airborn/air assault/ballet cross-training has them a bit perplexed. Thankfully they’re only allowed to think on Tuesdays between 21:00 … Continue reading →
Our readers are smart and probably don’t need the following lesson in connecting the dots but for those stumbling upon our site or just curious as to what is really happening out there versus what the media is spoon feeding … Continue reading →
‘Puter lifted this police file photo of Czarsleeping off last year’s Christmas Partymystery punch. Moral of the story: Never let Sleestak bartend. He has a heavy pour. No, ‘Puter didn’t just regain consciousness after 2011’s yeti-themed New Year’s Eve Gala … Continue reading →
Amy Payne over at the Heritage Foundation penned a post today that breaks down how well the President’s “plan” has worked. According to the latest Obama campaign ad featuring former President Bill Clinton, President Obama’s plan is working and needs … Continue reading →
Over the next couple of months (and beyond that, if we’re lucky), we will be hearing a lot about the Paul Ryan plan. Formally known as the Path to Prosperity, the plan is intended to correct the certain-death spending of … Continue reading →
Mitt Romney, under fire to be a little more specific about his vision for America’s future, delivered a speech in Irwin, Pennsylvania, today in which he spelled out five specific things he will do to turn the country around as … Continue reading →
Does it strike you well-informed readers as odd that 68% of Americans blame George W. Bush fo the economy? After all, the 2008 economic meltdown happened with only a few short months of the Bush presidency left, but has been … Continue reading →
A common occurrence in a typical liberal versus conservative debate is one where the liberal bemoans that the conservative didn’t lambast a republican (and therefore assumed to be conservative – although that’s not always true) official over an issue over … Continue reading →
Paul Krugman clearly appears over the deep end. What should be done about the economy? Republicans claim to have the answer: slash spending and cut taxes. What they hope voters won’t notice is that that’s precisely the policy we’ve been … Continue reading →
Having attended Saturday evening Mass this past weekend, GorT and Mrs. GorT were enjoying a leisurely Sunday morning by watching some Sunday morning news shows over breakfast. One show had Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) on to discuss his sponsorship of … Continue reading →
…or do you feel the same? Who knew that the Rev. Bono of U2 was so prescient when he wrote the song, “One“. Many liberal friends are pointing at the Dow as a sign of an economic recovery. It’s usually … Continue reading →
‘Puter has been remiss in posting lately. There are a couple of reasons. First, ‘Puter has been lights-out crazy at work. ‘Puter’s in the financial industry, concentrating in the secondary market for sub-performing and non-performing secured commercial debt. Think Bain … Continue reading →
Hey, a couple of weeks ago, did you see this poll going around that shows how much Americans hate the rich? Huffington Post writes “Most Americans Think Income Inequality Is A Big Problem,” according to a poll conducted by The … Continue reading →
If the Occupy crowd and the Demo-Libs who deny the disaster of their government model have taught us anything, it’s that schools need to start returning back to teaching economics. If they ever did—home economics always seemed more about cooking … Continue reading →
As regular readers know, ‘Puter is a high-functioning simpleton, but one with Cassandra-like powers of prognostication. Also, like Cassandra, ‘Puter is cruelly fated to never be believed. Let’s review a few of ‘Puter’s most recent economic prognostications: 1. The failure … Continue reading →
‘Puter read with interest this Eugene Robinson opinion piece in this morning’s Washington Post. Mr. Robinson identifies what he perceives to be the Republicans’ failing: they don’t have a convincing narrative about the economy. Mr. Robinson then spends the remainder … Continue reading →
In the course of his daily reading, ‘Puter came across the following article noting Europe’s economy (and if there is a just God, the EU as well) is circling the bowl. More apt, Europe’s economy is halfway down the u-bend. … Continue reading →
The President says we have to raise taxes on the smart and successful because, he says, it’s all there in the math. Since you brought it up, Mr. President, we would very much like to see your math. Ours says … Continue reading →
The current recession is nothing compared to the one preordained by our continued debt-funded budgets. Think about it. What’s the primary cause of our continued Carteresque malaise? Consumer and business deleveraging, resulting from the bursting of an economic bubble. That … Continue reading →
Paul Ryan penned this editorial in the Wall Street Journal today. Please go ahead and read it. No seriously, go read it. Now go and email it to 10 of your friends, tweet it and put it on your Facebook … Continue reading →
Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of reading, researching and some debating over the future for the United States. There are a few key areas that I’ve been meaning to write about that all orbit around this central theme, so … Continue reading →
Remember the Summer of 2010? It was the Obama Administration’s self-proclaimed “Summer of Recovery” that, well, wasn’t. In recent months the economy has ticked up a bit but I wouldn’t be holding your Summer 20102011 of Recovery party just yet. … Continue reading →
It’s a dreary, drizzly, 45 degree Monday. His back hurts, and his dreams were haunted all night by the image of Mrs. ‘Puter stepping out on him. Needless to say, ‘Puter’s in a foul mood, with a full-blown case of … Continue reading →
GD writes in with a couple more arguments and reminders about Corporate Tax Rates (including GorT’s favorite). Sorry: sometimes we assume that you all know this, but GD is right to add this in for our many first-time readers: Dread, … Continue reading →
Dear The Czar, There is much talk today about the debt limit. At the National Tea Party Convention, the Republican leadership were given a warning that raising the debt ceiling without real changes in spending will result in primary challenges … Continue reading →
The next time some weenus says that maintaining obscene corporate profits are why our jobs are moving overseas, point them to this picture: Here is why jobs are going overseas: the corporate income tax rate. Ask them which businesses pay … Continue reading →
Yesterday was a bad day for America. Not just Wall Street, but the whole country. It was mega-bad. It could be a second recession all over again kind of bad. All you know is that the stock prices fell, and … Continue reading →
Paul Ryan delivers a great intro to the battle about to wage in Congress and across the country. Read more here. Now. GorTGorT is an eight-foot-tall robot from the 51ˢᵗ Century who routinely time-travels to steal expensive technology from the … Continue reading →
The Czar walked into the second floor men’s room at the Castle this morning and found ‘Puter sitting on the cold tile floor, in his underwear, staring at the floor drain while clutching a roll of Brawny paper towels in … Continue reading →
Two seemingly unrelated events reveal much about the state of the union. The real state of the union, that is, and not the light rail and unicorn fart speech President Obama gave exactly one hundred years ago, back before Egypt. … Continue reading →
Either way, we’ve got a lot of rubble to climb out from under. Click to embiggen, of course. Via Greg Ransom. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →Dread and Awful Czar, Remember when you talked about Quantitative Easing? Well, the chickens have come home to roost. It appears that our friends in OPEC will not be lowering the price of oil just because we are not happy … Continue reading →
Dread & Awful Czar, Dr. J., as you know, has been following Washington’s tax dilemma with baited breath here, here and most notably, here. President Obama presented his so-called compromise with the congressional Republicans to the wailing and gnashing of … Continue reading →
Foreman says these jobs are going, boys, and they ain’t coming back. Unemployment benefits start to end today for up to two million Americans. To hear the liberals tell it, heartless Republicans are stealing Christmas from children, and burning Toys … Continue reading →
Brilliant post, Dread and Awful Czar! Naturally. But there is more: I do have an observation. Uh oh. I worry that the Obama White House has begun reading the Gormogons. The Quantitative Easing began as the Republicans have won the … Continue reading →
Usually when you hear a Latinate + Anglo-French compound noun, you can bet you are hearing a governmental euphemism: like collateral damage, affirmative action, or state capitalism. You can bet the guideline also applies to quantitative easing. All right, what … Continue reading →
Today’s guest poster is none other than Dr. J. He can be reached for comments and questions through us here at the Big G. Rank and file Democrats in the House (and perhaps the Senate) are getting nervous about the … Continue reading →
GorTechie has a stunningly well-argued thought piece on globalization of the economy. The Czar chooses not to argue any of it—GorT is, of course, freaking right. Indeed, the Czar was so reluctant to appear contentious that he decided against naming … Continue reading →
‘Puter was reading this post regarding the failed HAMP program over at Megan McArdle’s blog at The Atlantic this morning, and it set him to thinking. Flawed notions of consumer credit are what dragged us in to our current straits, … Continue reading →
This morning, let me give you two examples of the utter failure of the “Hope and Change” administration. First, in yet another example of the Obama Amateur Hour, Secretary of State Clinton announced on an Ecuadorian television interview that the … Continue reading →
Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain, that is. These are the four dead men walking of the European Union. Yesterday, rating agencies downgraded the sovereign debt of Greece and Portugal, with Greece achieving junk status, and now paying over 13% to … Continue reading →
‘Puter was sitting in Mass two weeks ago and noted that the psalm (Ps. 34:5) touched on the issue of fear. “I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” Since we’re discussing fear, … Continue reading →
Whether you have personally experienced it or not, everyone pretty much gets the brother-in-law who keeps borrowing money with no intention of repaying it. Each time, though, there is a mighty excuse for why the last time did not work, … Continue reading →
A few weeks back, several Gormogons picked on the Obama administration’s claims that the Stimulus package had “created or saved 150,000 jobs” (for those doubters out there, POTUS Obama said it on May 27th, Gaffe-master Biden said it on June … Continue reading →
In his weekly radio address, POTUS Obama reminded everyone that injury happens fast to a body, but healing takes a while. The Czar agrees with his reminder that the economy is not going to be fixed overnight. Frankly, the Czar … Continue reading →
Probably no one noticed it except the Czar, but CNN has a nice summary of everything that’s wrong with the Obama administration. The story discusses how the GOP is starting to turn the flame up on the Obama economic recovery … Continue reading →
After the Obama administration shredded bondholder rights in the Chrysler and General Motors bankruptcies, the rule of law in the United States now is on par with China’s. So what’s the over-under on how long it takes us to dig … Continue reading →
Maybe invest with these guys (article via FotG, Dancin’ David Frum), who claim that in the 11,000 or so trading days since 1965, the market has risen fifty times higher on days when Congress is not in session. While that’s … Continue reading →
Reuter’s Bernd Debusmann writes that gun sales in America are increasing along with economic anger. The Czar is well aware that gun sales are increasing, and Debusmann gets the reason correct: a notoriously anti-gun Senator is elected President, with rumors … Continue reading →
Somewhere—the Czar regrets he cannot cite the exact reference—your Volgi once said that media bias is ever-so-there when reporting on the economy. That is interesting, the Czar thought, as he wolfed down caviar with a spoon and waved his hand … Continue reading →
You know what’s great about participating on a blog like this? The Czar can do only minutes of research and make an outrageous conclusion based on that. Know what’s evidently easier? Being an economic columnist for U.S. News & World … Continue reading →
I’m going to harp on one of ‘Puters favorites – Unions. Sure, at one time, unions were necessary to ensure the fair treatment of workers. And maybe, in some industries, that’s still needed. Many times, however, the general public doesn’t … Continue reading →
Now this is worrisome: Perhaps even more important than job-creation efforts is the threat of diminished trust among Americans—in each other, in those responsible for large public and private institutions, and in their own ability to get ahead by investing … Continue reading →
Google “consumer deleverage” and/or “business deleverage” and see how many hits you get. ‘Puter’ll wait. Many, many commentators, from the famous to the not-so-famous think, in dangerously simplified terms, that our financial house is burning in large part because we … Continue reading →
No, it’s not the code name of my new project*. It’s what we’re facing here in the United States with the rumors of bailouts for the auto industry (as a follow up to ‘Puter’s post). This is an industry that … Continue reading →
‘Puter’s had it with the credit crunch/greed is good/bailout debacle. ‘Puter was going to post on aging gay pop-star drug abusers who want your sex receiving minimal punishment, but then he came across this little gem, so he had to … Continue reading →
