06 | August | 2012

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Fed study says Bush and the banks didn’t cause the Great Recession. The Fed did

James Pethokoukis | August 6, 2012, 9:28 pm

It’s probably President Obama’s most politically effective line of attack against Mitt Romney. The president argues that it was the unchecked, reckless, casino capitalism of the George W. Bush years — bank deregulation, tax cuts for the rich — that … read more >

Carpe Diem

Markets in Everything: Salt Gun for Shooting Flies

Mark J. Perry | August 6, 2012, 7:56 pm

The original salt gun for shooting flies from Bug-a-Salt. HT: Robert Wright

Foreign and Defense Policy, Middle East and North Africa

Countering Ansar al Sharia in Yemen

Katherine Zimmerman | August 6, 2012, 5:25 pm

Success against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen has depended on the redeployment of thousands of Yemeni troops and the emergence of local armed groups willing to fight AQAP’s insurgent wing, Ansar al Sharia. These local tribal … read more >

Politics and Public Opinion, Elections

Romney puts Jerusalem ‘gaffe’ in an ad!

Marc Thiessen | August 6, 2012, 4:18 pm

Usually presidential candidates use their opponents’ gaffes in campaign ads, not their own. So it may shock many in the media who declared Mitt Romney’s statement that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel a “gaffe” to see that Romney has a … read more >

Pethokoukis

Super Derecho Alert: Do ‘headwinds’ from the euro zone crisis explain America’s slow growth? Not really

James Pethokoukis | August 6, 2012, 2:02 pm

A great analysis from the folks at e21 on these comments by President Obama: We’re going to have some continued headwinds over the next several months. Europe is still a challenge, and a lot of people in this room who have … read more >

Pethokoukis

Over past 30 years, tax burden of wealthier Americans has risen faster than their incomes

James Pethokoukis | August 6, 2012, 1:47 pm

The WSJ’s David Wessel points out just how progressive the U.S tax system is: In the 1980s, the top 5% averaged 22.6% of income and paid 28.5% of taxes. In the 1990s, the top 5% averaged 25.3% of income and paid … read more >

Photo Credit: sun dazed (Flickr) (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Economics, Energy and the Environment

Do energy efficiency regulations benefit consumers?

Kenneth P. Green | August 6, 2012, 1:07 pm

Several fallacies pervade thinking about energy efficiency measures. The first fallacy is the assumption that increasing energy efficiency somehow leads to using less energy. That never made a lot of sense: people generally want more power and more mobility rather … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, Middle East and North Africa

Syrians: Less worthy of U.S. support

Danielle Pletka | August 6, 2012, 12:33 pm

It’s heartwarming to recall the words of President Obama when the people of Libya were faced with death from the heavily armed forces of the late strongman Muammar Qadhafi: “In this particular country, Libya, at this particular moment, we were … read more >

Pethokoukis

Another reason the economy in 2013 may stink? Housing

James Pethokoukis | August 6, 2012, 12:01 pm

The U.S. economy next year may be no better the one this year. For example, on Friday JPMorgan trotted out a forecast showing GDP growth of just 2% in 2013 with an unemployment rate of 8% or higher every quarter. … read more >

Pethokoukis

Responding to Bruce Bartlett on the Clinton tax hikes and the 1990s boom

James Pethokoukis | August 6, 2012, 11:34 am

Bruce Bartlett on the “Clinton tax challenge” for Republicans in the NYT: Republicans are adamant that taxes on the ultra-wealthy must not rise to the level they were at during the Clinton administration, as President Obama favors, lest economic devastation … read more >