Category Archives: economics

When capitalism goes haywire

Posted on December 19, 2011 by jerrylanson

As a kid, I used to pore over baseball statistics. These days, I’m increasingly finding myself obsessing over statistics about income inequality instead. I try to keep in mind that economics, at best, is a shaky science. And, as a … Continue reading →

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So who is waging class warfare again?

Posted on October 13, 2011 by jerrylanson

A new nonpartisan report suggests that many millionaires are paying taxes at a lower rate than the middle class, supporting the assertion of billionaire Warren Buffett in a New York Times opinion piece that he pays taxes at a lower … Continue reading →

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‘Occupy’s’ crystal clear message: Quit ripping us off

Posted on October 9, 2011 by jerrylanson

In just the last week, the Occupy Wall Street movement, shortened in some places to simply “Occupy,” has swept across this country, staging protests in 45 states. Writes London’s Guardian newspaper, “From Seattle and Los Angeles on the west coast to … Continue reading →

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Here we go again: GOP replays its ‘class warfare’ card

Posted on September 19, 2011 by jerrylanson

Stay true to the message, even if it in no way resembles reality. That’s been the Republican strategy since Karl Rove became what some called “Bush’s brain” more than a decade ago, and the party has played it with considerable … Continue reading →

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A billionaire comes clean on unjust tax breaks for the rich

Posted on August 15, 2011 by jerrylanson

Thank you, Warren Buffett. There’s no better way to understand the injustice of the American tax system than to read the story of one of the richest men in the world. Today, in a New York Times opinion piece titled … Continue reading →

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Class warfare? The wealthiest wage it relentlessly

Posted on August 14, 2011 by jerrylanson

Extreme income inequality causes a cultural separation that is unhealthy on its face and corrosive over time…. It is hard to imagine an adequate answer to the problems we face that doesn’t involve greater redistribution of wealth. “Can the Middle … Continue reading →

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Will we balance the budget on the backs of the poor?

Posted on February 15, 2011 by jerrylanson

How quickly we forget. Just a tad over two months ago, the lame-duck Congress passed a tax-cut “compromise” that extended Bush-era tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans and protected a larger chunk of the wealth left by … Continue reading →

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Is the president being played for a sucker?

Posted on December 10, 2010 by jerrylanson

An interesting column by Paul Krugman today hints at perhaps the most conclusive reason Democrats should reject the tax “compromise” that Barack Obama negotiated with Republicans.  It just may ensure a catastrophic defeat for Democrats in 2012. Krugman concedes that … Continue reading →

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Tax ‘compromise’: The rich get richer

Posted on December 7, 2010 by jerrylanson

I guess I should be excited because I personally stand to gain something close to a $2,000 tax break next year in the deal President Obama forged with Congressional Republicans.  But I’m anything but. Once again, the disparity between rich … Continue reading →

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Congress goes back to work: Tax cuts for the rich, nothing for the unemployed?

Posted on November 28, 2010 by jerrylanson

The irony in today’s economic headlines reads like something out of The Onion.  Only this isn’t comedy. It’s reality: America in 2010. Unless Congress extends unemployment benefits on Monday, more than 2 million Americans will lose those benefits in December … Continue reading →

Posted in economics, financial crisis, taxes, unemployment benefits | Tagged , , | 2 Comments