Paul Krugman Takes Tom Carper to the Woodshed

Paul Krugman Takes Tom Carper to the Woodshed

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It is rare, in the history of economic thought, for debates to get resolved this decisively. The austerian ideology that dominated elite discourse five years ago has collapsed, to the point where hardly anyone still believes it.
Hardly anyone, that is, except the Tom Carper and John Carney. When Tom Carper and John Carney say that there is a "budget crisis" and that "austerity" is needed to grow the economy, they are lying. Yes. It is that simple.
Wednesday Open Thread [4.29.15]

Wednesday Open Thread [4.29.15]

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The Los Angeles Times reports that Hillary Clinton will call for far-reaching reforms in the criminal justice system that would “end the era of mass incarceration,”
“The speech will mark the unveiling of Clinton’s first major policy proposal as a presidential hopeful, coming as candidates are under pressure to confront the unrest in Baltimore. The city erupted in rioting Monday night, following the funeral of Freddie Gray, an African American man who was mortally injured while in police custody.”
Man, this Hillary campaign is really trying to win me over big time (and she is succeeding).
Anti-Gay Supreme Court Argument Claims Marriage Is Only About Children

Anti-Gay Supreme Court Argument Claims Marriage Is Only About Children

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“The state doesn’t have an interest in love and emotion at all,” Mr. Bursch said. “It’s about binding children to their biological moms and dads.” Several justices were intensely skeptical of that rationale, noting that many gay couples have children. These justices also seemed unpersuaded by Mr. Bursch’s contention that altering the definition of marriage would harm the institution.
This has to be the weakest argument they could choose. It's so limiting. It also leads to this argument: If marriage is about "binding children to their biological moms and dads” then should people who do not want children, or cannot have children even be allowed to marry?  If this argument is accepted then wouldn't that redefine marriage, far more than gay marriage?  It also merges quite nicely with the Republican's forced birth-anti birth control platform.
Nobel Prize-winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz, on the TPP

Nobel Prize-winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz, on the TPP

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From a Salon interview. Please note what your Delaware Congressional delegation is pushing for:
I’ve talked to the health negotiators around the world. I’ve talked to people who’ve been involved in the arbitration process as part of the investment agreements. Even people who are arbitrators say the whole system is corrupt, that it’s a very expensive system, that therefore creates an un-even playing field with big corporations with big, deep pockets can get access to have recourse, whereas smaller firms can’t. That American firms can re-locate or do their investments in the United States as a subsidiary sue the U.S. government in ways that they could not if we didn’t have that trade agreement.