27 | November | 2012

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Image Credit: St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank

3 charts that show just what’s happened to the tax code since 1979

James Pethokoukis | November 27, 2012, 3:40 pm

Great study on debt and taxes from the St. Louis Fed. Lots of insightful charts and facts. Here are a few: 1. From 1979 through 2000, all of the changes in the tax code before the Bush tax cuts effectively reduced the … read more >

11.27.12 Eaglen US RDT&E Spending 2009-2013

Foreign and Defense Policy, Defense

7 reasons to maintain America’s defense R&D spending

Henrik Temp | November 27, 2012, 3:00 pm

Under current and proposed policy, America’s defense budget will be cut by nearly $900 billion next year. These cuts will have dramatic consequences for our military preparedness across the board, but they are particularly worrisome in regards to our defense … read more >

Pethokoukis

Can the US economy still grow like it used to?

James Pethokoukis | November 27, 2012, 2:39 pm

Citigroup is just out with its big year-end analysis, and the economic team offers a fairly upbeat forecast: With improving private sector balance sheets and falling energy costs, we believe that — provided near-term fiscal tightening is gradual — US … read more >

Image credit: Idaho National Laboratory (Flickr) (CC BY 2.0)

Economics, U.S. Economy

Send me your poor, your tired… your engineers, yearning to code free

Nick Schulz | November 27, 2012, 2:32 pm

So the House may once again consider an immigration bill designed to get more science, technology, engineering, and math talent to be permitted to study and work in the United States. In case anyone thinks this is a bad idea, … read more >

Image credit: BIT boy (Flickr) (CC BY 2.0)

Economics, International economy

Foreign companies profit from Cuban labor abuses

Roger Noriega | November 27, 2012, 2:11 pm

For those who dream of normalizing business with the Castro dictatorship, the University of Miami served up a dose of reality on how the regime uses state-run “commercial” enterprises as a tool of control and abuse. read more >

US President Barack Obama (R) meets with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington September 1, 2010. REUTERS/Jason Reed

Foreign and Defense Policy, Middle East and North Africa

Back in bed with an Egyptian dictator?

Marc Thiessen | November 27, 2012, 12:04 pm

It appears the Obama administration is content sidling up to what Dany correctly calls Egypt’s “new pharaoh.” read more >

Carpe Diem

Case-Shiller Home Price Index for September confirms that we are now in the midst of a US housing market recovery

Mark J. Perry | November 27, 2012, 11:33 am

The Case-Shiller Home Price Indexes for September were released today, here are some highlights: 1. “Home prices rose in the third quarter, marking the sixth consecutive month of increasing prices,” says David M. Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at … read more >

Carpe Diem

Great moments in government regulation: Commodity Futures Trading Commission shuts down Intrade for Americans

Mark J. Perry | November 27, 2012, 10:53 am

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed a civil complaint in federal district court that has shut down Intrade (mentioned on CD more than 100 times), the popular Ireland-based online prediction market, to Americans. Here’s the CFTC press release … read more >

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. […]
Could California Make a Comeback?
An unexpected glimmer of hope might cast a new light on the Golden State. […]