Category Archives: I For One Welcome Our Austerity Overlords

Devil Take the Hindmost As Public Policy: The Social Security Edition

Posted on August 17, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

By all means, let’s delay the start of Social Security past 67 (you can get partial benefits if you enter earlier, but that’s what you get forever), and lower the cost-of-living increase. Because it’s not like Social Security doesn’t make … Continue reading →

Posted in I For One Welcome Our Austerity Overlords, Social Security | 4 Comments

A Question For Pundits Who Think Austerioeroticism Is ‘Brave’

Posted on August 15, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Before we get to the question, first the set up by John Quiggin, who is commenting on Rep. and vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan’s ‘austerian’ budget (boldface mine): A policy like this has what economists like to call a time-inconsistency problem. … Continue reading →

Posted in Fucking Morons, I For One Welcome Our Austerity Overlords, Social Security | 2 Comments

If You Thought Geithner Was Bad, Wait Until You Hear Who the New Treasury Secretary Might Be

Posted on August 11, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Erskine Bowles: One of Washington’s favorite guessing games — behind Mitt Romney’s veepstakes, but way ahead of who will run the Commerce Department — is who will replace Timothy Franz Geithner as Treasury Secretary. And as of today, I’m ready … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Democrats, Fucking Morons, I For One Welcome Our Austerity Overlords | 1 Comment

Children of the Romney Era

Posted on August 8, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Peter Radford coins a great phrase. He’s responding to the idea that more confident stock and bond markets (not sure how that’s supposed to work at the same time, but I digress) would jumpstart the U.S. economy: So. The path … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, I For One Welcome Our Austerity Overlords | Comments Off on Children of the Romney Era

How Could We Possibly Spend All That Money? The Electrical Grid Edition

Posted on August 5, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

If you remember back when the stimulus bill was being discussed, one of the claims made by many, including some so-called progressives, was that it’s really difficult to figure out how to spend a lot of money. Of course, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, I For One Welcome Our Austerity Overlords | 2 Comments

The Myth of Wealthy Social Security and Medicare Recipients

Posted on August 2, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

What’s enraging whenever well-to-do pundits and polticians argue that we ‘all’ need to sacrifice–that is, the needy surrender even more of the meager remnants of the social safety net–is that it ignores that, for most recipients, these programs are critical … Continue reading →

Posted in Basic Human Decency, I For One Welcome Our Austerity Overlords, Social Security | 1 Comment

Median Wealth: American Unexceptionalism

Posted on July 20, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

THis is usually the kind of post I just mention in the daily links, but Kenneth Thomas over at Middle Class Political Economist (a very good blog by the way) draws our attention to this depressing (if you’re a U.S.-ian) … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, I For One Welcome Our Austerity Overlords, We're Really Fucked | 5 Comments

The Link Between Austerity and Fascism: No, This Is Not Hyperbole

Posted on November 18, 2011 by mikethemadbiologist

Scratch a technocrat, and you’re likely to find a very ugly anti-democratic streak underneath. Over at Naked Capitalism, Mark Ames details Greece’s new Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks, Makis Voridis’ sordid and literally fascist past (boldface mine): See the … Continue reading →

Posted in I For One Welcome Our Austerity Overlords, We're Really Fucked | 2 Comments