I have switched this blog over to the new Facebook comments system. It’s not a simple tradeoff, but I think it’s the right move.
Whoops
Having totally fouled up the back end of this blog, I am now in the process of restoring it after a complete from-scratch reinstall. Arrgh. I think I have fixed most of the big stuff, but please don’t be surprised if there are some glitches over the next few days. In particular, I lost a [...]
What is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)?
Based on public information, I think it’s hard to justify an SPR release now. If a lot more supply goes offline (in Libya or elsewhere), and if the Saudis lack the spare capacity to offset that additional loss, then the President will have a tough call to make.
When halfway isn’t
The negotiations on the continuing resolution (CR) began yesterday. The Administration’s new line, echoed by Congressional Democrats, is that their new offer “comes halfway.” As the players jockey for position they will be throwing out all kinds of confusing numbers. The confusion arises from two factors: Most of the debate centers around “deltas” rather than [...]
The President’s proposed deficits and “primary balance”
Today we’ll look at President Obama’s proposed deficit path, as yesterday we looked at his spending and revenue paths. The red line on this graph compares the last 50 years of deficits with the next 50 years under President Obama’s proposed policies. The vertical white line at 2011 separates the past from the projected future. This [...]
The long term budget problem begins now
Let’s look at President Obama’s proposed long run budget path. Click the graph to see a larger version. I am comparing the past 50 years with the next 50 years under President Obama’s proposed policies. The dotted red line shows us that, over the past 50 years, federal government spending averaged just over one-fifth of [...]
The President’s budget: whistling past the graveyard
I chewed on the President’s budget for a few hours today. Rather than bore you with a MEGO (“My Eyes Glaze Over”) post filled with numbers and charts, I offer a few overall qualitative and strategic impressions. No big surprises here. The budget tracks the State of the Union address as well as press events [...]
The President’s hidden trade message
At the U.S. Chamber of Commerce yesterday the President spoke about trade: [W]e finalized a trade agreement with South Korea that will support at least 70,000 American jobs – a deal that has unprecedented support from business and labor; Democrats and Republicans. That’s the kind of deal I’ll be looking for as we pursue trade agreements [...]
Summary of the President’s Chamber of Commerce speech
The President did not break major new substantive ground in his speech today to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. I assume the press coverage will instead focus on the optics and political framing – the President is reaching out to business leaders, no longer taking an antagonistic tone as he did during his first two years. [...]
Reagan photos
Ronald Reagan was born 100 years ago today. In his honor, here are photos of the 40th President of the United States. All photos are from the National Archives and are in the public domain. They would make great Facebook profile photos today. Enjoy. Click on any photo to see a larger version.
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