The Fed In the Echo Chamber- January 29, 2008 Jim Cramer -- the hyperactive, loud and opinionated host of CNBC's "Mad Money" -- is no fan of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. If you'd tuned into "Mad Money" any time in recent months, you might have caught one of Cramer's outbursts against the former Princeton University economics professor. "Defend us from Uncle Ben Bernanke's relentless march to recession," went one rant. "You know what Bernanke is He's the General Sherman of monetary policy. He's waging total war against the...http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/28/AR2008012802337.html?nav=r... Capitalism's Enemies Within- January 23, 2008 Amid the mayhem on world financial markets, it is becoming clear that capitalism's most dangerous enemies are capitalists. No one can have watched the "subprime mortgage" debacle without noticing the absurd contrast between the magnitude of the failure and the lavish rewards heaped on those who presided over it. At Merrill Lynch and Citigroup, large losses on subprime securities cost chief executives their jobs -- and they left with multimillion-dollar pay packages. Stanley O'Neal, the ex-head..http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/22/AR2008012202615.html?nav=r... Lollipop Economics- January 16, 2008 You have no doubt heard the well-worn dictum of Karl von Clausewitz, the great Prussian military strategist, that war is the extension of politics by other means. Well, the same is true of economic policy. As often as not, it's politics by other means -- and the looming debate over whether the country needs an "economic stimulus" program will, if nothing else, reaffirm that. The debate promises to be more about politics and public relations than economics.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/15/AR2008011502864.html?nav=r... Promises They Can't Keep- January 9, 2008 The big lie of campaign 2008 -- so far -- is that the presidential candidates, Democratic and Republican, will take care of our children. Listening to these politicians, you might think they will. Doing well by children has now passed motherhood and apple pie as an idol that all candidates must worship.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/08/AR2008010803488.html?nav=r... 'House Lust' Hits Home- January 2, 2008 Down the block from my home, workmen are finishing a new house. It replaces a bungalow that had measured about 1,500 square feet. The new home has a covered front porch, two fireplaces and a finished basement. It comes in at just under 5,700 square feet. What is it with Americans and their homeshttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/01/AR2008010101303.html?nav=r... |