EconTech

Seriously, I just don’t understand how this administration has gotten away with breaking as many serious laws as they have. I don’t like, but can see, politicians getting away with things like corruption, nepotism, inept wars, even false premises for war. These are all things that strike at our values of democracy. But even then, [...]

Not that the Republican machine hasn’t been screaming tax break for decades with ZERO sign of ever implementing an actual decrease on taxes. Either they don’t get it, or they don’t care. A drop in taxes is ONLY implemented in a spending decrease. Reducing taxes while implementing such a break is not a ‘tax break,’ [...]

Not exactly breaking news here. And delving into the economic numbers isn’t exactly necessary to indict Putin. But more data is always useful, so here goes. There is more, and if you have an FT subscription it is worth reading, but I don’t want FT getting mad at me for reproducing in full:
Why Putin’s rule [...]

Argentina’s inflation numbers are looking cooked, if not burnt. Hopefully the real figures aren’t too bad.
 
IMF asks Argentina to clarify inflation figures
By Jude Webber in Buenos Aires
Published: February 11 2008 21:31 | Last updated: February 11 2008 21:31
The International Monetary Fund has asked Argentina’s statistical institute, Indec, to clarify inflation data and methodology that has [...]

This is not surprising whatsoever to anyone who has spent any time in Louisiana. When I was living there, people who had moved to the state would call the corruption ‘incomparable’ to what they had seen in other places, though it would take them a few years to discover exactly how bad it is. Though [...]

I haven’t written much about e-voting initiatives, and there is too much to be written in a single space. But a few quick thoughts before passing you on to the well-versed Stokes. Avoiding the technical issues of which I am not capable of commenting on intelligently, the economic issues in these devices and processes are [...]

I often here the claim that goes something like this:
These scientists know that if they do research and results are in no way alarming, their research will gather dust on the shelf and their research careers will languish. But if they do research that sounds alarms, they will become well known and respected and receive [...]

Jack Goldsmith’s “The Terror Presidency” is one of the most interesting and most insightful books yet to come out of the Bush White House. In October 2003, President Bush appointed Goldsmith, a self-described conservative who proudly proclaims that he is…
link to story

In February 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell, addressing the United Nations Security Council, claimed to have proof that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. He did not, in fact, present any actual evidence, just pictures of buildings with big arrows pointing at them saying things like “Chemical Munitions Bunker.” But many people in [...]

Two years ago today, Americans watched in horror as a great city drowned, and wondered what had happened to their country. Where was FEMA? Where was the National Guard? Why wasn’t the government of the world’s richest, most powerful nation coming to the aid of its own citizens?
What we mostly saw on TV was the [...]