April 22, 2010
Shocked, Shocked
Everyone’s favorite line from the movie “Casablanca” is when Inspector Renault says to Rick (as he collects his gambling winnings), “I am shocked, shocked to find gambling going on here.” In the case of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC),...
April 21, 2010
International Tax Policy, Blah, Blah, Blah
International tax policy is boring. Jobs, American competitiveness, and the future of the world economy and America’s place in it, is not so boring. The boring stuff has a profound impact on the more exciting stuff. This morning, Doug Holtz-Eakin,...
April 20, 2010
The Financial Reform Kabuki
I think there will be a deal on financial services reform, or Wall Street reform as the White House now calls it. But first there has to be the requisite Kabuki dance. According to Wikipedia, “in common English usage, a...
April 19, 2010
What’s Good for Goldman?
It used to be said that what is good for General Motors is good for America. And for much of the last century, that assertion was basically true. Economic policies that helped make General Motors the number one car maker...
April 16, 2010
Bailout Nation
The American people don’t like bailouts, unless it is they themselves who are getting bailed out. And even then, being bailed out leaves a bitter taste in one’s mouth. TARP has popularly been described as a bailout, and maybe it...
April 15, 2010
The American Consensus
Gary Andres has a great column today about, as he calls it, “the myth of American consensus.” As Gary puts it, “The myth concerns the level of political consensus in America. It’s a lot lower than most people think. Polls...