05 | October | 2012

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Documentary film released on America’s longest war – the ‘war on drugs,’ described as a ‘holocaust in slow motion’

Mark J. Perry | October 5, 2012, 11:35 pm

A few weeks ago on CD I featured an upcoming documentary film titled ” The House I Live In” about America’s longest war – the War on Drugs – which is described in the film as a “holocaust in slow … read more >

Economics, Pethokoukis

Analysis: Coming hike in investment taxes may make it harder for fast-growing young firms to raise capital

James Pethokoukis | October 5, 2012, 8:44 pm

Does this sound like a good idea with a 14.7% unemployment rate (including part-timers who wished they have full-time jobs plus some discouraged workers)? Here is JPMorgan on the scheduled increase in the capital gains and dividend tax rates … read more >

Carpe Diem

Markets in everything: no insurance, cash-only eye exams

Mark J. Perry | October 5, 2012, 8:03 pm

From the Herald Business Journal (Everett, WA): If you get an eye exam at the new Seattle Hill Vision Center, east of Mill Creek, you may think you need to have your eyes checked again when you see the bill. … read more >

Pethokoukis

Is the Obama job market really equal to the Reagan job market? Please

James Pethokoukis | October 5, 2012, 5:10 pm

Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post: With the release of the September jobs report Friday, there’s also a more positive comparison — for Democrats — between Reagan and Obama that now can be made. Check out the similarities in the unemployment … read more >

Carpe Diem

Markets in everything: human scarecrows

Mark J. Perry | October 5, 2012, 4:10 pm

College graduate finds work as a human scarecrow in the U.K.

Carpe Diem

31% of Americans without health insurance live in households making $50k or more, and 38% are between 18-34 years old

Mark J. Perry | October 5, 2012, 3:32 pm

The Census Bureau recently released its annual study on “Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011,” and reported that in 2011 there were 48.6 million Americans living in 20.5 million U.S. households without health insurance, which … read more >

Pethokoukis

In 2003, Obama economic adviser Goolsbee said government ‘cooked the books,’ producing lower unemployment rates

James Pethokoukis | October 5, 2012, 2:45 pm

The Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics says the “official unemployment rate” is now 7.8%, the first time it has been below 8% since January 2009. But is that an accurate read on the health of the U.S. labor market? … read more >

Economics, Pethokoukis

The one chart that shows there’s been no jobs market recovery since the end of the Great Recession

James Pethokoukis | October 5, 2012, 1:06 pm

Economist Michael Darda of MKM Partners: The U.S. lost 8.87 million private sector jobs during the Great Recession; since job growth resumed in March 2010, 4.73 million private sector jobs have been created, just more than half of the job … read more >

Economics, Pethokoukis

873,000 jobs? Last time, the economy added that many, it was growing at a white-hot 9.3%

James Pethokoukis | October 5, 2012, 12:44 pm

Economic consulting firm IHS Global Insight: The household employment estimate is subject to a bigger sampling error than the payroll estimate. Its 873,000 increase is a huge statistical outlier on the upside. Look at it this way: Back in June … read more >

Economics, Pethokoukis

Economist: Unemployment drop ‘implausible … a statistical quirk’

James Pethokoukis | October 5, 2012, 12:05 pm

I posted a bit of this earlier, but here is the entire, eye-opening note from economists John Ryding and Conrad DeQuadros of RDQ Economics: This report is a tale of two labor markets. The establishment survey (payrolls) painted a picture of moderately growing … read more >

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