News
WSJ | U.S. Seizes Two Banks; Year's Total at 25
U.S. regulators Friday seized an Oklahoma bank, as well as a bank in Milwaukee.
The Economist | The elephant in the waiting-room
Politicians are ignoring a big, dysfunctional programme
Washington Times | Obama urged to tap strategic oil reserves
Democrats cite gas prices
Fox Business | Japan: The Economic Consequences of the Disaster
The toll in human misery wrought by the tsunami and earthquakes in Japan tests the imagination of economists, but the effects on Japan's GDP and wealth are a different matter.
Econ Comments
WSJ | Beyond Charter Schools
Vouchers advance in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
Daily Caller | Tsunamis are not stimulus
There is nothing good about a natural disaster. The tsunami that hit Japan today is an unmitigated tragedy. Still, there is a certain optimism in the human condition that tries to find the upside even during the worst of times. This is one of our species’ nobler attributes. But sometimes it leads smart people to say dumb things.
Fortune | Obama has a mortgage plan (or three) worth reading
The president has three plans on the table. Which one is going to fix the mess we're in?
WSJ | Democrats vs. Obama on Trade
A 'no brainer' for everyone except the White House.
RealClearMarkets | Hillary Clinton Knows How Economies Grow?
We may as well ask a plumber about quantum physics.
Ludwig von Mises Institute | How Real Estate Came to Own Us
Cheap money, buyer tax incentives, lack of new supply, nothing seems to keep home prices elevated.
National Journal | Greenspan's Flimsy Explanation for a Tepid Recovery
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, armed with charts and data, says he has fingered the primary culprit for the sluggish recovery: government activism.
Minyanville | Housing Market: Foreclosure Relief Programs Under Fire
Data continue to show that loan modification and short sale initiatives are floundering, and foreclosure relief programs are now on the chopping block.
Blogs
The Economist: Free Exchange | Eleven things I learned at work this week
IN THE course of writing this week's Economics focus about the 20 best papers ever published in the American Economic Review, I learned that:
Calculated Risk | Schedule for Week of March 13th
The key releases this week will be industrial production and the consumer price index on Thursday. The Federal Reserve FOMC meets on Tuesday. For housing, the NHAB housing market index will be released on Tuesday, and housing starts on Wednesday.
NRO: The Corner | More on State Pensions
Here is a piece I wrote for Reason.com on state pensions. I look at three common misconceptions and illustrate them with examples from three states: New Jersey, Connecticut, and Ohio.
Reports
RCM: Wells Fargo | Economics Group
Weekly Economic & Financial Commentary
AEI | Bailouts or Bankruptcy: Are States Too Big to Fail?
In any sensible discussion of the fiscal crisis of the states, Pollock’s and Stein’s laws should serve as a rock-bottom foundation. But they also suggest further questions: who will not get paid, and on what terms will things come to stop? The answers will depend on political decisions in the states and in Washington, DC. We had better get those answers right, and we may not have a lot of time.
Ludwig von Mises Institute | The Rationale for Total Privatization
I have three goals. First, I want to clarify the nature and function of private property. Second, I want to clarify the distinction between "common" goods and property and "public" goods and property, and explain the construction error inherent in the institution of public goods and property. Third, I want to explain the rationale and principle of privatization.
