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Op-Ed Columnist: The Madoff Economy
Op-Ed Columnist: The Madoff Economy
The vast riches achieved by those who managed other people’s money have had a corrupting effect on our society as a whole. >
Op-Ed Columnist: Barack Be Good
Op-Ed Columnist: Barack Be Good
nytimes.com — President-elect Barack Obama has said that he wants to “make government cool again.” Before Mr. Obama can... make government cool, however, he has to make it good. > (more) Op-Ed Columnist: Barack Be Good
Op-Ed Columnist - Barack Be Good
Op-Ed Columnist - Barack Be Good
nytimes.com — Times have changed. In 1996, President Bill Clinton, under siege from the right, declared that “the era... of big government is over.” But President-elect Barack Obama, riding a wave of revulsion over what conservatism has wrought, has said that he wants ... (more) Op-Ed Columnist - Barack Be Good
Op-Ed Columnist: European Crass Warfare
Op-Ed Columnist: European Crass Warfare
nytimes.com — Europe’s economy is in trouble. But Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and her economic officials stand in... the way of a much-needed European rescue plan. > (more) Op-Ed Columnist: European Crass Warfare
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Paul Krugman: The Madoff Economy
Economist's View — The costs of "America's Ponzi Era": The Madoff Economy, by Paul Krugman, Commentary, NY Times: The revelation that Bernard Madoff — brilliant investor (or so almost everyone thought), philanthropist, pillar of the community — was a phony has shocked the world, and understandably so. The scale of his alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme is hard to comprehend. Yet surely I’m not the only person to ask the obvious question: How different, really, is Mr. Madoff’s tale from the story of the investment industry as a whole? The financial services industry has claimed an ever-growing share of the nation’s income over the past ...

Madoff as Metaphor
EconLog: Library of Economics and LibertyPaul Krugman writes , How different, really, is Mr. Madoff's tale from the story of the investment industry as a whole? Meanwhile, I've been thinking that Madoff is a perfect analogy for the public sector. The government gives people money, which it expects to obtain by taking the money from people in the future. Even the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, not known as a right-wing organization, sees the U.S. fiscal stance as ...

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