Catholics, social justice, and Boehner

"If the headline is “Conservative Catholics Denounce Liberal Politician on Abortion,” all the boilerplate is at the ready. But when the headline is “Catholic Progressives Challenge Conservative Politician on Social Justice,” this is something new and complicated. It’s far easier to write the 10th story of the week about Newt Gingrich", writes opinion writer E.J. Dionne Jr in the Washington Post.

Gloom-onomics

Ever since the financial crisis, Americans have wallowed in fear and anxiety. Understandably. Although a recovery — as defined by academic economists — started about two years ago, it hasn’t felt like one. Of the 8.7 million payroll jobs lost in the recession, only 1.8 million have returned. The recovery rivals the slowest since World War II and faces continued threats. High oil prices. Europe’s debt crisis. Unexpected inflation. Washington’s bickering over the federal debt ceiling. All true. But it’s also true that the recovery seems increasingly self-propelled. Americans are shopping again, albeit with less fervor; exports are improving; companies are hiring. It may be time to move beyond pessimism, says opinion writer Robert Samuelson in the Washington Post.

Getting Smart on Aid

NYTimes columnist Nicholas D. Kristof: "When I was in college, I majored in political science. But if I were going through college today, I’d major in economics. It possesses a rigor that other fields in the social sciences don’t — and often greater relevance as well. That’s why economists are shaping national debates about everything from health care to poverty, while political scientists often seem increasingly theoretical and irrelevant."

The redistribution of rape

Jon Stewart makes fun of economists' invisible, but touchy, hands, and investigates whether DSK could become the first economist convicted of rape.

The Daily Show - La Cage Aux Fools
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Will The US Have A “Debt Crisis”?

John Boehner, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, is leading the Republican Party’s charge on fiscal policy, arguing that his side needs to see “trillions of dollars” in spending cuts in order for Congress to approve an increase in the US government’s debt ceiling. No one should believe him, says MIT professor Simon Johnson in a column for Project Syndicate.

Jump in Life Expectancy Assumptions Drives Latest Social Security Projections

The 2011 Social Security trustees report is far more optimistic about life expectancy than last year's report. It projects that men who turned age 65 in 2010 can expect to live another 18.6 years compared with the 18.1 figure projected in last year's report. Life expectancy for women at age 65 was projected at 20.7 years in the 2011 report, compared with 20.4 years in the 2010 report. This assumed increase in life expectancy is the largest factor in a projected deterioration in the program's finances. Read the complete Center for Economic and Policy Research byte here.

In the US, the elderly are better of than advertised

Read Robert Samuelson's column on intergenerational solidarity in the Washington Post here.

Fear the boom and bust: Keynes vs. Hayek, episode 1

Fight of the century: Keynes vs. Hayek, episode 2

What would Jezus cut? The original op-ed

A budget is a moral document, say a couple of American Christian organisations. Read the original article in Politico here.

Jeffrey Sachs from Columbia University discusses the US budget

Is It Immoral To Cut the Budget?

The Good Samaritan parable instructs us to attend to the afflicted voluntarily, not through coercive government programs. Read the complete article in the Wall Street Journal here.

What would Jezus cut?

As faith coalition for the poor grows, so does conservative opposition. Read the complete article on the CNN website here.