The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

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The Austerity Blunder?

By Michael Maiello on Fri, 10/08/2010 - 11:36am |

It's non-farm payroll Friday, where we celebrate the work of everyone who isn't a farmer.  The unemployment rate stayed unchanged at 9.6% with government employment falling by 159,000 and private sector employment (mostly in health care, hospitality and mining) rising by 64,000.  Barry Ritholtz has the no-nonsense quick-take here.

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Yes, He Can Veto!

By Michael Maiello on Thu, 10/07/2010 - 5:33pm |

Welcome news from the Obama Administration today.  The President will veto (either outright or as a pocket veto) the Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act of 2010.  The bill orders federal and state courts to recognize the the marks of out of state notaries.  It's actually been floating around Washington for a long time, getting nowhere but then it was suddenly and unanimously (and quietly) passed by the Senate on its last day in official session, right when homeowners, plaintiffs a

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The Third Party Challenge

By Michael Maiello on Mon, 10/04/2010 - 10:11am |

We got into a discussion of third parties a bit over the weekend.  Over the last week, there were a couple of items in the larger media that touched on this, but as is usually the case, not in the way that we would like.

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No, TARP Was Not A Success

By Michael Maiello on Fri, 10/01/2010 - 11:07am |

We're now getting a flurry of stories from the Treasury telling us that TARP, unpopular though it may be, was not only effective but cheaper than the worst case scenarios that the government envisioned when the program began.

The New York Times says the program is only going to wind up costing $50 billion, rather than the $700 billion committed or the nearly $400 billion spent.  If our exits from AIG, GM and Ally Financial go well, we could even make money!

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Oh No, Tom Friedman Again!

By Michael Maiello on Wed, 09/29/2010 - 1:13pm |

Damn you, Red Planet!  I almost forgot to read Friedman this morning.  I was having such a happy day but now I've read this.  Actually, the all-knowing mustache makes a pretty good point that we should seek to compete with China and other economies by encouraging America's well-educated, creative and driven individuals to follow their bliss in new and hopefully lucrative directions.

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Left vs. Right Is Over?

By Michael Maiello on Mon, 09/27/2010 - 2:54pm |

In my last career I was fortunate to be able to get to know Barry Ritholtz.  I reviewed his excellent "Bailout Nation" back in 2009 and did a nice Q&A with him soon after.  But enough about me and Barry.  I really want you all to read what he has to say here:

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The Power Of The President

By Michael Maiello on Fri, 09/24/2010 - 8:45am |

In this week's "New Yorker" former Vice President Walter Mondale, who has a book out, draws comparisons between Obama and Carter (ultimately concluding that Obama has many political strengths Carter lacked) and says something interesting (paraphrase): "When people lose their jobs or can't keep their house they become irrational.  They lash out. They expect the president to do something." The whole, short article is here.

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Bodybuilding Buffalo Bilkers

By Michael Maiello on Wed, 09/15/2010 - 11:51am |

Ever wonder how "welfare queen" stories get started?  Over at Time's Swampland, I think we saw one get born.  Joe Klein, on the road searching for the soul of America or something, decided to uncritically and unskeptically relay a tale told to him by Mark Kirkwood, a resident of the Detroit area.

Kirkwood had a classic welfare queen story to tell:

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Muslims Need To Speak Up!

By Michael Maiello on Mon, 09/13/2010 - 10:47am |

I don't usually care what Marty Peretz of The New Republic has to say.  I just usually dismiss him as a crazy old coot and perhaps some one past his intellectual prime.  So, whatevs.

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What Is Going On Out There (A Koranamania Post)

By Michael Maiello on Thu, 09/09/2010 - 3:24pm |

So I try to take a little break from politics and what happens?  A Radical Christian Cleric decides to throw himself a Koran burning in Gainesville, Florida.  Actually, he announced it a long time ago and when I first saw the headline about it on Gawker I was absolutely livid because I misread it as "Korean Burning."  Burning Koreans is just wrong.

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