Government matters!
government
Radical hope in difficult times
Difficult times Whether we like it or not, we are the new minority, knocked off our blocks, trounced, but not — at least not yet — silenced. Nicolas Kristof (New York Times, December 11 2016) described universities echoing with “primal howls of discontent.” and classes cancelled so that students could weep about their fears of … Continue reading »
The volcanic core fueling the 2016 election
Not a day passes that I don’t get a call from the media asking me to compare Bernie Sanders’s and Hillary Clinton’s tax plans, or bank plans, or health-care plans. I don’t mind. I’ve been teaching public policy for much of the last 35 years. I’m a policy wonk. But detailed policy proposals are as … Continue reading »
A (sometimes) beautiful equilibrium: John Nash’s gifts to a crowded planet
John Nash and his wife died May 23 in a cab crash while returning from a trip to Norway to receive a major mathematical prize. He is best known to the public because of the movie “A Beautiful Mind,” which described his struggle with mental illness. His concept of the Nash Equilibrium is basic to … Continue reading »
The conundrum of corporation and nation
The U.S. economy is picking up steam but most Americans aren’t feeling it. By contrast, most European economies are still in bad shape, but most Europeans are doing relatively well. What’s behind this? Two big facts. First, American corporations exert far more political influence in the United States than their counterparts exert in their own … Continue reading »
The Republican weapon of mass cynicism
According to the latest ABC New/Washington Post poll, 77 percent of Americans say they “feel things have gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong track” in this country. That’s the highest percentage since January, 2009. No surprise. The economy is almost as rotten now as it was two years ago. And, yes, this poses a … Continue reading »
Paul Ryan’s plan, the coming shutdown, and what’s really at stake
I was there in 1995 when the government closed because of a budget stalemate. I had to tell most of the Labor Department’s 15,600 employees to go home and not return the next day. I also had to tell them I didn’t know when they’d next get a paycheck. There were two shutdowns, actually, rolling … Continue reading »