By the time President Obama sat down with House Republicans on June 1 to talk about the exploding public debt, the economic data had been grim for days: another decline in home values, a new dip in consumer confidence and, just that morning, the lowest manufacturing-sector growth rate in more than a year and a dismal payroll report showing job growth far below expectations. In another era, these sorts of numbers would have led to a predictable chain of events for either a Republican or a Democratic President: rush to the cameras, empathize with those suffering the pain and declare that help is on the way.
Tag Archives: economic
With Portugal’s New Government, the Promise of Harsh Cuts
It may have been the politician’s practiced habit of emotional concealment, but in his concession speech last night, the smiling outgoing Portuguese Prime Minister Jos Socrates hardly looked like a man distraught with defeat. Nor, for that matter, did his opponent, Paulo Passos Coelho, seem gleeful with triumph
Finally, Help With Your 401(k)
“I’m very, very sorry to say that my business is skyrocketing,” the personal-finance guru Suze Orman said one late January afternoon.
The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth
There was a time–yes, my children, the legends are true–when J.R.R. Tolkien was not cool.
Love Don’t Cost a Thing: Can Educating Girls Alone Curb China’s Mistress Epidemic?
This fall, young girls in China’s southern Guangdong province will be learning a new subject in school: how to avoid becoming a mistress.
In China’s Wild West, A ‘Black Gold’ Rush Takes Shape
This post is in partnership with Worldcrunch, a new global news site that translates stories of note in foreign languages into English. The article below was originally published in Le Monde
The Euro Hero: Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Discussions on Chinese economic relations are hardly a magnet for paparazzi — unless, of course, they include a star speaker.
The 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs Overall
Read “Where the Recession Proof Jobs Are”.
The 100% Solution
You’ve got to give Donald Trump credit: he’s everywhere, and everywhere he goes, he manages to offend in new and different ways. Take his quotes in the latest book by MSNBC Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, Knowing Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You’re Worth.
Microloans vs. Microinsurance
There are higher-yielding varieties of groundnut than those that farmers in Malawi tend to plant, but getting them to switch is tough. Better seed is pricey, increasing their risk