fiscal responsibility


Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Richard Eskow Asks: Which Side Are You On?

Richard Eskow of the Center for the American Future, posted a very good one a couple of days ago. He used the old union meme “which side are you on” to beat up the President and Congress about Social Security being placed on the negotiating table. I thought his writing on it was striking. more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

New MSM Trillion Dollar Coin Wave: Here's The Big Story

The one thing that jumps out at you when reading the mainstream posts of the past week-and-a-half bringing Platinum Coin Seigniorage (PCS) into the forefront of attention again, for the first time since last year's debt ceiling crisis, is that every mainstr more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

New MSM Trillion Dollar Coin Wave Misses the Big Story: Bradford and Plumer

In my last three posts, I've critiqued the new wave of mainstream posts and commentary on Platinum Coin Seigniorage (PCS) on my way to making the case that the MSM are missing "the big story" about PCS. more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

New MSM TrillionDollarCoin Wave Misses Big Story: Pethokoukis & Wiesenthal

In this post I said I would blog about the likely expected relationship between the different PCS options and inflation using the framework laid out by Scott Fullwiler! But, after reconsidering, I thought I'd hold off until later, and, instead, first provide a discussi more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

The Trillion Dollar Coin Is A Conservative Meme

The Trillion Dollar Coin (TDC) is, first, an oversimplified meme, because there's not one TDC solution, but lots of Platinum Coin Seigniorage (PCS) variations on that idea with differing implications for politics. more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

More Austerity Advice From the Very Rich: Buffett On Deficits!

Warren Buffett's recent op-ed in the New York Times is making a stir because it calls for a minimum tax on high incomes above $One million annually. more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Let's Defend SS and Other Entitlements With the 2nd Bill Of Rights

The favorite defense of Social Security by progressives harkens back to Franklin Roosevelt who famously said:

”I guess you’re right on the economics. They are politics all the way through. more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Stop Using Obama for America Against the People!

Obama for America, the campaign apparatus with the very large e-mailing list and great segmentation techniques that exploited Romney's weaknesses to help the President to eke out (yes, I know the electoral vote involved no “eking out,” but the popular vote was something else again) his re-election victory, is now trying to mobilize people who voted for the President to work against their own i more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Trigger Mechanisms To Avoid the Fiscal Cliff? You're Kidding, Right?

Robert Reich has been writing a series on “the Grand Bargain” and the “fiscal cliff.” In this post, I'll do a commentary on his “The President's Opening Bid on a Grand Bargain (II): Put a Trigger Mechanism in the Legislation”, because I think it's more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

The Fiscal “Cliff” and the Real Problem

Like many others, I'm not worried about the so-called fiscal “cliff,” and the ravages to the economy that are likely to occur if Congress doesn't do something about it before the end of the year. more »

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