Tag Archives: Obama

Will Republicans Really Block Tax Cuts Because They Go Only to Earners Below $250K?

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President Obama proposes allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire next year — as they are scheduled to do if nothing is changed — for those earning more than $250,000, but changing the law so as to extend the tax cuts for those earning less than that amount.   Republican politicians are opposing the proposal.    I don’t understand what they are thinking.  Their position doesn’t make sense to me, regardless whether they are thinking about short-term stimulus, long-term fiscal conservatism, good economics, or even pure politics.    read more

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The Copenhagen Accord on Climate Change: Countries Submit 2020 Emission Goals

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Most observers judged as a failure the December meeting in Copenhagen of the Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).    But then the usual way of judging such meetings is to look for a communiqué that voices sweeping aspirations, such as the G-7 “decision” at L’Aquila last summer to limit global warming to 2 degrees centigrade.   In reality, without any evidence of countries agreeing what is each one’s share of the burden, such proclamations are worthless.  Better tiny steps on the ground than giant flights of rhetoric. read more

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Is Investment Depressed by an “Anti-Business” Climate?

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The National Journal asks for reactions to a recent blog post by Greg Mankiw regarding the reasons why US investment has fallen sharply. 

I agree with Greg that the dominant empirical fact about investment is its procyclical volatility (the main reason investment has been depressed for the last two years is that the economy has been depressed), and also that the recent credit crunch made it worse.   But I don’t agree with a third item on his list: “the policy environment seems adverse to business.”   As in many areas, it is when we get to the politics that I disagree.  read more

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