All Life Is Problem Solving

Barack Obama hasn’t reached that point yet. But it wouldn’t take very much. All he has to do is to go along with his National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, and he’ll drive us into a full-fledged depression with an increasingly shredded social safety net and a deeper […]

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The progressive counter-attack against the President’s emerging “austerity” political strategy and program is beginning to emerge. In the last few days, we’ve seen posts by Nancy Altman and Eric Kingson of Social Security Works, Jane Hamsher, Robert Kuttner, and Dean Baker writing against the thrust by the Administration, the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and […]

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Nancy Altman and Eric Kingson Co-Directors of Social Security Works have written an article called “Has Obama created a Social Security ‘death panel’? In the article they raise questions about the composition, process, and intentions of the President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform and say: ”We write to raise questions and encourage press […]

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By Warren Mosler and Joseph M. Firestone Paul Krugman agrees that “We’re Not Greece.” But he only appears to have a glimmer of an understanding of the most important reason why this is so. We hope this commentary on his op-ed piece improves his understanding, and that of other deficit doves who appear to disagree […]

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Progressives want a lot done. Some things, like accountability for torture and violations of constitutional rights, and for criminal activity undermining the financial system, won’t cost much to accomplish. But other things, like full employment job programs, Medicare for All, reconstruction of the educational system, modernization of infrastructure, transformation of the energy foundations of the […]

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James K. Galbraith’s short piece in The Washington Post Outlook section proposed that we ought to toss the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). I couldn’t agree more. This post is a commentary intended to amplify the argument. Jamie begins with: ”The forecasts of the Congressional Budget Office are holy writ in Washington, and they fuel scary […]

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In the above video, Nick, otherwise known as The Modern Mystic, has raised an important question about applying Modern Money Theory (MMT) -based economics. He asks whether if all nations used MMT-based economics to achieve full employment, truly universal health care, and free public education for everyone, whether the world wouldn’t run up against resource […]

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Professor Pavlina Tcherneva, one of the speakers at the recent Fiscal Sustainability Teach-In Counter-Conference, in a striking post entitled “Do Not Confuse Solvency with Sustainability,” says this about solvency and sustainability: ”Mad obsession with debt- and deficit-to-GDP ratios, divorced from any consideration to what is happening to the real economy, boggles the mind. Remember government […]

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A little more than three weeks ago on April 7, I posted an idea here, here, and here, calling for a Teach-In Counter-Conference on April 28th to oppose the message of austerity in social programs being formulated by the President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, and The Peter G. Peterson Foundation, by bringing […]

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The Fiscal Sustainability Teach-In Counter-Conference happened at The George Washington University’s Marvin Center on Wednesday. It was held in the amphitheater at The Marvin Center and was sponsored and given strong support by the University’s Department of Management and the wonderful Marvin Center Staff. Blogs on the Teach-In Counter-Conference have already appeared here, here, here, […]

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