Category Archives: Propaganda

Returns to education: from a sure thing to a trip to vegas

Posted on November 11, 2011 by

Paul Krugman has pointed out, here and here that the meme that most of the inequality we have been experiencing of late has much to do with differences in educational attainment is bogus.  Mankiw responds in typical fashion by changing … Continue reading →

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Krugman pins the tail on the Elephant

Posted on February 26, 2011 by

Krugman gets it right in both the pith and the substance of the matter on the overcompensated public sector workers in Wisconsin.  Short of it: they are not.  This is a must read. The Contribution Scam David Cay Johnston has … Continue reading →

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Why I LUV Naked Capitalism

Posted on January 6, 2011 by

How fked up is public discourse, pretty fked up if you ask me. All over the world, literally, unionised and non-unionised workers are being asked to take it on the chin for the GFC. Here is the money quote from … Continue reading →

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Big Lie of 2010 No. 9: We are all middle class

Posted on December 18, 2010 by

Canadians like to think of themselves as middle class. Notice the fan fare attached to the release of Hulchanski’s and co. study on the trend toward the hollowing out of the middle class. I had always thought the term “middle … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Class War, Education, liberal economic theory, Models, Neoliberalism, Propaganda | 2 Comments

The 10 Big Economic Lies of 2010

Posted on December 15, 2010 by

So it is the end of the year and what a stunning year it has been for all sorts of creative story telling inside the economics profession (particularly in its conservative manifestation). I am going to kick this list off … Continue reading →

Posted in Class War, Free Trade, Neoliberalism, Propaganda | 3 Comments

Krugman looses it and losses it bad: Maybe economics is a morality play

Posted on September 28, 2010 by

Krugman is precisely what is wrong with American progressives. He thinks after spending a life watching while nobody left of him was left standing; that after mission accomplished, he would be benighted. The reality is that he has been rendered … Continue reading →

Posted in American politics, Free Trade, New Keynesianism, Propaganda, US economy, Welfare Policy | 4 Comments

Black Swans and Scientific Liberalism

Posted on April 7, 2010 by

Of course the high modernist cousin to scientific liberalism is scientific socialism: “just one more five year plan and we will get it right” said the commissar. There was a legitimacy to that position when the system was new, when there was no history; just a series of experiments where time would tell if they got it right. scientific liberalism cheats at this game: they want to argue for the maximisation of happiness; and then when the gig is up they want to default to satisficing Continue reading →

Posted in American politics, Canadian Politics, Class War, economic crisis, Financial Regulation, Free Markets, Neoclassical, Neoliberalism, Propaganda | 5 Comments

Dictator, Stalinist, Nazi, Communist, Fascist

Posted on March 30, 2010 by

Sparked by recent events south of the border and the ease with which these terms seem to get thrown around I think is necessary to have a conversation about what these terms actually mean and why it probably is not … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Propaganda | 9 Comments

Reform of the Century? US Health Care

Posted on March 23, 2010 by

To my mind the most interesting aspect of the health care debate south of the border is just how far off the actual legislation was from the rhetorical flourishes and hubris. Paul Krugman thinks the fact that Markets Yawned is … Continue reading →

Posted in American politics, Corruption, elections, Propaganda, Public and Private goods, Welfare Policy | 3 Comments

Laughed out of the Laffer curve

Posted on January 28, 2010 by

In class today I presented a seminar on, among other things, the uses and abuses of the Laffer curve. Why it is not called the Laffer bell curve I have no idea; it is always drawn like one. The students … Continue reading →

Posted in economic crisis, Free Markets, Neoclassical, Neoliberalism, Propaganda, Tax Cuts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment