December 2010
11 posts
1 tag
WatchI talk with James Zogby about the tax cut deal. You’ll notice we meandered off track to a discussion about Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the START Treaty, both of which I know next to nothing about. This much was obvious!
Another thing you might notice is how wonderfully pale and skinny I look in this video. For those of you concerned, I have since been on vacation and I no longer...
2 tags
Hugh Jidette and the Bond Vigilantes
by Jordan Eizenga
Some of you may have noticed the recent commercials featuring a man named Hugh Jidette (‘Huge Debt’) running for President. His platform is to borrow today, run up the national debt, and send money overseas in interest payments. The ads are funded by the Pete Peterson Foundation whose benefactor is one of the most well known deficit hawks in the United States. His...
6 tags
3 tags
Let’s Not Extend the Wrong Program
by Jordan Eizenga
The Gulf Opportunity Zone bond program, a poor performing bond program, is included in the tax extension legislation that is likely to be passed in the Senate today. Build America Bonds, a successful and more efficient bond program, however, is not. Mississippi Republican Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker successfully included the GO Zone Bond program in the tax extension...
1 tag
Principles for Executive Compensation (or, the...
by Jordan Eizenga
Given the furor over Wall Street bonuses, I drafted (in a moment of boredom) a preliminary set of principles for executive compensation. I am not beholden to these principles and welcome any and all feedback:
A company whose survival is due to the direct actions of its government should place limits (or have limits placed) on bonus payments. Bonus payouts, in such a...
WatchAs our government begins to tackle the deficit, it is important to not glibly make cutbacks in all programs. Doing What Works at the Center for American Progress focuses on how government can function better and often do the same thing at a reduced cost.
2 tags
3 tags
Another Tax Cut for the Top 2 Percent? →
by Seth Hanlon and Jordan Eizenga
2 tags
Very Brief Note: Britain’s Approach to Restoring...
by Jordan Eizenga
The U.K. government’s strong austerity program goes beyond what is necessary to tackle the deficit and is now poised to detrimentally affect economic growth in 2011.
This will hurt Britons, as employment growth will likely slow and unemployment could increase at a time when many government programs are being curtailed.
As I mentioned in an earlier article, cutting deficits...
1 tag
WatchI speak with Rick Smith about unemployment insurance extensions. My portion of the episode lasts between 2:14 and 2:33.