A Good, Quick Primer

I am fascinated by monetary policy and central banking and have been since graduate school. My technical analysis skills have weakened over the years and I often struggle to explain some basic things to dinner companions who end up looking at me as if I have three eyes. Bruce Bartlett has written a pretty good, quick read on how failings in monetary policy (made worse by failings in fiscal policy) caused (that's right, caused) the Great Depression. Not capitalist greed, not political avarice, failed monetary policy.

Seriousy, Stop Worrying about Hyperinflation

The title says it all. This is a pretty good summary of the forces that will restrain the government from inflating away the debt. Of course, how we pay for it is a different matter.

How It Looked From the Inside

Steven Rattner's tale of the bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler.

Job Losses in Motion

No commentary needed.

Will You Know It When You See It?

This is, by definition, fascism in action. If you think not then I ask that you read up on the economic policies of Benito Mussolini.

Wow!

And that's all I have to say about that!

Gramm-Rudman - zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

One of the better ideas I've seen in a while and here's the money quote.

"By setting annual deficit ceilings as a share of the economy, Congress would have more incentive to adopt pro-growth economic policies and avoid anti-growth policies such as increasing tax rates on work effort and investment or raising taxes on energy."

Oh, and by linking this, I am officially boring.