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Znet Article Baker: GDP Outlook in 2011 After the Tax Deal

Znet Article, December, 22 2010 Dean Baker
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The enthusiasm of the U.S. business press for the compromise tax package worked out by President Obama and Republicans in Congress led to a mini euphoria of upbeat economic projections for 2011.

Znet Article Baker: 'Bailout' Capitalism: Two Years On

Znet Article, December, 02 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

In the fall of 2008 major financial institutions were failing across the globe.

Znet Article Baker: The Deficit Commission’s Parallel Universe

Znet Article, November, 18 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

The country in which most people live is experiencing an economic disaster. More than 25 million people are unemployed, underemployed, or have given up looking for work altogether.

Znet Article Baker: Guardian Unlimited

Znet Article, September, 29 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

Virtually everyone has had the experience of being forced to pay a late fee or a bank penalty because of some fine print provision that we overlooked. Sometimes begging by good customers can win forbearance, but usually we are held to the written ...

Znet Article Baker: Wall Street's Greatest Heist: The Tarp

Znet Article, September, 22 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

The notion that without the $700bn bailout we would be reduced to bartering was a ruse by the banks to get taxpayers' money.

Znet Article Baker: The Soft Bigotry of Incredibly Low Expectations

Znet Article, September, 15 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

In a country with almost 15 million people out of work, it is amazing that any economists still have jobs. This one is their fault first and foremost. Economists are supposed to know about the economy and provide advice on how to avoid disasters b...

Znet Article Baker: Bernanke's Trifecta of Errors

Znet Article, September, 09 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

Many have noted the resemblance between the Federal Reserve Board and the Catholic Church. Both have long traditions of secret convocations: meetings of the Open Market Committee and the College of Cardinals. Both have a revered leader: the Chair ...

Znet Article Baker: Unemployment Edges up to 9.6 Percent as Weak Job Growth Continues

Znet Article, September, 06 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

The unemployment rate edged up to 9.6 percent in August as the economy shed 54,000 jobs. The decline was entirely attributable to the loss of 114,000 temporary Census jobs. Excluding these jobs, the economy created 60,000 jobs. With job growth ...

Znet Article Baker: Become a Deficit Hawk

Znet Article, September, 01 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

Most people try to be respectful of those around them. They also try to be informed and intelligent about the world. This requires some effort, but most of us consider the rewards to be worth the effort.

Znet Article Baker: Whacking the Middle Class

Znet Article, August, 22 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

The middle class is getting whacked by the Great Recession. Fifteen million people are out of work, another 9 million workers can only find part-time jobs, and millions more have given up looking for work altogether. Those lucky enough to be emplo...

Znet Article Baker: That Joke About Intergenerational Equity

Znet Article, August, 17 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

The Washington Post and most of the important people in Washington want the United States to be like Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, this is not another Borat movie, this is about the central focus of economic policy in the United States today.

Znet Article Baker: Double-Dip Recessions and the Strange Tale of Final Demand

Znet Article, August, 04 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

The 2.4 percent GDP growth figure reported for the second quarter caused many economists to once again be surprised about the state of the economy.

Znet Article Baker: The Budget Deficit Chicken Hawks

Znet Article, July, 30 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

Most people are familiar with the concept of "chicken hawks." Chicken hawks are the politicians who are anxious to send other people to risk their lives in war, but somehow managed to avoid service when they had the opportunity to fight themselves...

Znet Article Baker: Helping Homeowners: More Money to the Banks

Znet Article, July, 21 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

The passage of financial reform is a good time to ask how much money we should expect to hand to the banks through our efforts to "help" homeowners. The basic story is very straightforward to anyone with more common sense than a Washington policy ...

Znet Article Baker: The Attack of the Real Black Helicopter Gang: The IMF Is Coming for Your Social Security

Znet Article, July, 14 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

Last week the IMF told the United States that it needs to start getting its budget deficit down. It put cutting Social Security at the top of the steps that the country should take to achieve deficit reduction. This one is more than a bit outrageo...

Znet Article Baker: Republicans: The Party of Unemployment

Znet Article, July, 08 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

From now until November 2, the Republican Party will be the party of unemployment. The logic is straightforward; the more people who are unemployed on Election Day, the better the prospects for Republicans in the fall election. They expect, with g...

Znet Article Baker: Is Advice from the IMF Better than Advice from a Drunk in the Street?

Znet Article, July, 01 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

That is the question that people around the world should be asking as the International Monetary Fund dishes out its prescription for austerity. The IMF program calls for cutbacks in government support for health care, pensions and a wide range of...

Znet Article Baker: America Speaks Back: Derailing the Drive to Cut Social Security and Medicare

Znet Article, June, 23 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

Next weekend will feature another milestone in the drive to cut Social Security and Medicare. The organization America Speaks will be hosting a series of 20 meetings in cities across the country. They will ask the people at these meetings, a cross...

Znet Article Baker: It's Too Bad Keynes Didn't Write in English

Znet Article, May, 19 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

Keynes explained the dynamics of an economy in a prolonged period of high unemployment more than 70 years ago in The General Theory. Unfortunately, it seems that very few of the people in policymaking positions in the United States or Europe have ...

Znet Article Baker: Financial Reform is Good, Firing Bernanke Would Be Better

Znet Article, April, 24 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

The financial reform bills moving through Congress offer some hope for a more stable financial system. While there is still much up for grabs, it is likely that whatever gets through Congress will improve regulation of derivatives, increase regula...

Znet Article Baker: Goldman's Scam #5476, Yes, It Can Get Even Worse

Znet Article, April, 21 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

Last year, Rolling Stone columnist Matt Taibbi described Goldman Sachs as "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money." It turns out that Mr. Taibbi was far...

Znet Article Baker: The New War on Social Security

Znet Article, April, 14 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

Suppose our top generals described the growing threat from a hostile Middle East power. The country has tens of billions of oil dollars, a growing army, chemical and biological weapons, and is in the process of developing nuclear weapons. After ca...

Znet Article Baker: Profits on Citigroup Stock: Can They Be the Basis for Financing Stimulus?

Znet Article, April, 10 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

Last month the government announced plans to sell the stock it obtained in November of 2008 as part of its bailout package of Citigroup. The media jumped on the fact that, at the stock's current market value, the government stands to earn an $8 bi...

Znet Article Baker: Work-Sharing Could Work for Us

Znet Article, April, 08 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

With the nation's unemployment rate still hovering close to 10% -- more than 12% in California -- and the typical unemployment spell stretching to 20 months, politicians of both parties are rightly looking for ideas to improve labor market conditi...

Znet Article Baker: China: What Do We Want?

Znet Article, March, 31 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

There is growing momentum to do something about the over-valuation of the dollar. This is a good thing. The over-valuation of the dollar has led to record trade deficits. While there is a well-funded industry devoted to whipping up hysteria around...

Znet Article Baker: When the U.S. Becomes Greece: Drivel from the Deficit Hawks

Znet Article, March, 17 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

The headlines about Greece's financial problems have provided a great backdrop to renewed attacks from the deficit hawks on Social Security and Medicare. Never mind that none of it really makes any sense. Not making sense is virtually a prerequisi...

Znet Article Baker: Sharing the Workload

Znet Article, March, 03 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

Most projections now show that the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries will have extraordinarily high rates of unemployment for several years to come. While there are differences across countries, in most the unemploym...

Znet Article Baker: Is the Fed Breaking the Law?

Znet Article, February, 25 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

That is a question that members of Congress should be asking. The Humphrey Hawkins Full Employment Act, which governs the Fed's operation, requires the Fed to pursue price stability and full employment, which is defined as 4.0 percent unemployment...

Znet Article Baker: Right to Rent: The Best Response to the Housing Crash

Znet Article, February, 17 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

It has been more than three years since the housing bubble began to deflate. During this time, nationwide house prices have fallen by close to 30 percent, after adjusting for inflation. Millions of people have lost their homes and tens of millions...

Znet Article Baker: Progressive Taxes Win Big In Oregon

Znet Article, February, 15 2010 Dean Baker
Baker's ZSpace page

The political establishment continues to be obsessed with the victory of Scott Brown in the Massachusetts Senate race. In fact, they are so obsessed they managed to almost completely overlook the success of two important tax initiatives in Oregon ...

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