27 | September | 2012

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

‘Equal pay day’ this year fell on April 17; the next ‘equal occupational fatality day’ will occur on April 17, 2022

Mark J. Perry | September 27, 2012, 4:12 pm

Every year the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) publicizes its “Equal Pay Day” to bring public attention to the gender pay gap. “Equal Pay Day” this year fell on April 17, and represents how far into 2012 the average … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy

Obama meme: Blame Americans first

Danielle Pletka | September 27, 2012, 4:09 pm

When the president of the United States says something that is manifestly untrue, we Americans call that a lie. Think “Mission Accomplished.” And when Obama and his political appointees insisted that the attacks in Libya and Egypt on 9/11/12 that … read more >

Pethokoukis

Welcome to the Recovery: 2012 may be the worst non-recession, non-depression year in the history of the United States

James Pethokoukis | September 27, 2012, 3:46 pm

There have been worse years for the American economy than this one, of course. For example: 2009, 1982, the entire 1930s. But those years occurred during official recessions or the Great Depression. Right now we are supposed to be in … read more >

Pethokoukis

Is this really Obama’s theory on why we had a Great Recession? Really?

James Pethokoukis | September 27, 2012, 1:31 pm

President Obama, in his new “Economic Patriotism” ad: Now, Governor Romney believes that with that even bigger tax cuts for the wealthy and fewer regulations on Wall Street all of us will prosper. In other words he’d double down on … read more >

Image Credit: Editor B (Flickr) (CC BY 2.0)

Pethokoukis

‘It’s all unraveling’ | Is this the last quarter of the recovery?

James Pethokoukis | September 27, 2012, 1:04 pm

Has the U.S. economy turned a corner? Yes, and then another corner and now it’s going backward. A slew of bad economic data today. A taste of what economists are saying: – It’s all unraveling this morning. OK in the US … read more >

Image Credit: Glaxo Smith Kline (Flickr) (CC BY-S.A. 2.0)

Foreign and Defense Policy, International Organizations

President’s Malaria Initiative’s ‘mystery’ solved

Roger Bate | September 27, 2012, 10:21 am

The Center for Global Development (CGD) recently ran a post describing the reticence within the U.S. Government, and more specifically the President’s Malaria Initiative’s (PMI), to support a malaria subsidy scheme known as the Affordable Medicines Facility – Malaria (AMFm). The … read more >

Image Credit: Official U.S. Navy Imagery (Flickr) (CC BY 2.0)

Politics and Public Opinion, Elections

40 days: U.S. 2012 elections live

Henrik Temp | September 27, 2012, 9:20 am

News & analysis on Election 2012. Updated throughout the day. read more >

Economics, Pethokoukis

GDP collapse puts U.S. economy into recession red zone

James Pethokoukis | September 27, 2012, 9:08 am

GDP growth for the second quarter was revised down to 1.25%. Here is Reuters: Economic growth was much weaker than previously estimated in the second quarter as a drought cut into inventories, setting the platform for an even more sluggish performance … read more >

Economics, Pethokoukis

Doing fine: Private sector weakness makes U.S. recovery ‘unstable’

James Pethokoukis | September 27, 2012, 8:43 am

President Obama promised to build an economy with a “new foundation,” an economy that was “built to last.” Instead, three years into a supposed recovery, we have an economy growing barely above stall speed. This recovery is, in the words … read more >

Carpe Diem

Thursday morning links

Mark J. Perry | September 27, 2012, 8:26 am

1. Prank video: See the reactions when you drop boxes of new iPhone 5s in front of 100s of customers who have camped out for days. 2. Number of federal prisoners serving time for drug offenses as of August 25: … read more >

The Uses of Scandal
One of the greatest uses of scandal is to vividly demonstrate what new laws are needed and to create the political conditions to get them enacted. […]
Lean In… to Government?
Sheryl Sandberg's runaway best-selling book Lean In has managed to offend both the Left and the Right. Sandberg touts female hard-headedness, yet also calls for an elaborate government- and employer-supplied support system for women. […]
Are American Voters Racist?
Racial prejudice plays a very small role in American politics, but a highly disciplined sense of self-interest on the part of one group may play a very large role in the way the federal government functions. […]
The Perpetual Passion for Paper
Paper is becoming less important in some respects, but its strengths — prestige, utility, permanence, and security — are more essential than ever. […]