Stimulus Tasty But Less Filling

The best thing policymakers can do to shorten the length and depth of a recession is to avoid blocking the necessary adjustments.

No Crime a Harrowing Tale of Governmental Abuse

No Crime But Prejudice is the only revenge that businessman Henry Fischer and his employees will get for the thuggish treatment they endured at the hands of federal authorities who targeted his homebuilding company for its alleged violations of the federal law against employing “undocumented workers.” Against long odds and a legal deck stacked in favor of the government, Fischer Homes managed to survive a harrowing persecution that could easily have destroyed the firm — an attack launched just to show that the Bush administration was “getting tough” on businesses that employed illegal aliens.

End Appeals to Noneconomists

His book is both historical and geographical. Historically, Bremmer offers a history of free-market capitalism, tracing its evolution from the 17th century to today. Bremmer presents a multitude of facts about the use of free market principles in communist countries, including China. Geographically, he looks at various countries, addressing their political policies and how their natural resources affect the global marketplace. Bremmer notes that of the world’s 100 largest economies, a mere 49 are countries. The rest are corporations. He then provides a list of companies with economies that are larger than some countries. ... Ian Bremmer has written a book that will appeal to the noneconomist and readers who want to see America’s return to a vibrant economy and one not controlled by the government.

Under the rug

The Placeholder Budget of 2010

In 2011, some $3 billion in short-term federal bailout funds and temporary taxes are scheduled to disappear from the state’s revenue availability

Play ball!