Dean Baker

Overpaid Public Workers: Actually, We're Moving Toward Consensus

Jason Richwine | Posted 05.01.2012

Read More: Public Sector Workers, Public Workers, Public Sector Compensation, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Dean Baker, Business News
Jason Richwine

Most Americans agree that public workers should be compensated for their skills at the same market rates as private employees. But right now, many public workers get an unjustified premium.

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Why Do So Many Elites Hate Social Security?

Dave Johnson | Posted 04.12.2012

Read More: Robert Samuelson, Jared Bernstein, Social Security, Dean Baker, Entitlements, Entitlement Programs, Politics News
Dave Johnson

This week there was another big attack on Social Security by another elite. This time the attack comes from a columnist. These attacks never come from people who depend on these programs (i.e. almost all of us.) Why do the privileged elites hate Social Security so much?

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Bonnie Kavoussi

Foreclosure Filings Fell Steeply In 2011, Little Consolation For Struggling Homeowners

HuffingtonPost.com | Bonnie Kavoussi | Posted 02.03.2012

Read More: Foreclosures, Video, Housing Market, Mark Zandi, Housing, Diane Thompson, Economy, Realtytrac Foreclosures, Jared Bernstein, Foreclosure, Housing Crisis, Realtytrac, Dean Baker, Business News

Foreclosure filings fell dramatically last year, according to a report released Thursday. Several prominent economists said the news was a sign that t...

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Will the Media Let Ron Paul Question U.S. Foreign Policy?

Robert Naiman | Posted 02.14.2012

Read More: Catholic Church, Iraq War, Gaza Blockade, David Mark, Gaza, Ron Paul, War With Iran, Iowa Caucuses, Dean Baker, Foreign Policy, 2012 Election, Elections 2012, Ron Paul 2012, Media News
Robert Naiman

It's a crucial test case not only of the prospects that the media will serve the interests of the 99% rather than the 1%, but of the prospects for a foreign military and economic policy that reflects the values and interests of the 99%, rather than those of the 1%.

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Alexander Eichler

Jay Carney: Economists Didn't Know How Bad The Recession Would Get

HuffingtonPost.com | Alexander Eichler | Posted 12.09.2011

Read More: U.S. Economy, Jay Carney, James Galbraith, Stimulus, Congressional Budget Office, Recession, Barack Obama, Douglas Elmendorf, Video, Mark Zandi, Economic Stimulus Package, Martin Feldstein, Great Recession, Economists, Paul Krugman, Dean Baker, Great Depression, Business News

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney made a surprising assertion on MSNBC Wednesday, saying that in early 2009, as Barack Obama was taking office, t...

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Eamon Murphy

Larry Summers Denounces Inequality -- But Why?

HuffingtonPost.com | Eamon Murphy | Posted 11.28.2011

Read More: Joseph Stiglitz, James Galbraith, Derek Shearer, Income Inequality, Great Recession, Larry Summers, Harvard, Economic Inequality, Barack Obama, Treasury Secretary, Dean Baker, Business News

Why is Larry Summers suddenly so worried about inequality? The Harvard professor -- a former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Barack Obama’s first D...

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The Krugman/Stiglitz Army Is on the March (and It's Too Late for Michael Bloomberg to Stop It)

Miles Mogulescu | Posted 12.14.2011

Read More: Jacob Hacker, Robert Kuttner, Jobs Crisis, Nouriel Roubini, Robert Reich, James Galbraith, Michael Bloomberg, Krugman-Stiglitz Army, Finanacial Reform, Wall Street Reform, Kuttner Obama, Occupy Wall Street, Dylan Ratigan, Occupy Movement, Zuccotti Park, Lawrence Lessig, Nouriel Roubini Financial Crisis, Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine, Krugman Stiglitz, Wall Street, Joseph Stiglitz, Occupy, Cornell West, Krugman Economy, Paul Krugman, Bill Mckibben, Simon Johnson, Jeff Madrick, Occupy Wall St, Krugman's Army, Naomi Klein, Dean Baker, Politics News
Miles Mogulescu

Whether or not the the #Occupy Wall Street protesters explicitly adopt policy proposals or only generate political energy for the spirit of them, the Krugman/Stiglitz Army is at last on the march.

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Zach Carter

Democratic Senator Demands Action From Obama On Foreclosures

HuffingtonPost.com | Zach Carter | Posted 10.30.2011

Read More: Foreclosures, Politics, Merkley, Economy, Mortgage Crisis, Jobs, Obama, Housing Crisis, Dean Baker, Politics News

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) sent a letter to President Barack Obama on Tuesday urging him to address the nation's devastating foreclosure...

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Alexander Eichler

Fed's $1.2 Trillion In Loans 'A Classic Case Of Moral Hazard'

HuffingtonPost.com | Alexander Eichler | Posted 10.22.2011

Read More: Tarp, Financial Industry, Treasury Department, Wall Street, Financial Sector, Bailout, Too Big to Fail, Federal Reserve Bailout, Dimitri Papadimitriou, Federal Reserve, Financial Crisis, Global Financial Crisis, Bloomberg News, David Jones, Dean Baker, Business News

During the 2008 financial crisis, when the nation's banking system seemed on the verge of collapse, President George W. Bush authorized a $700 billion...

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Dick Durbin: Sacrificing Social Security, Recovery?

Curtis Black | Posted 10.09.2011

Read More: Dave Johnson, Russ Feingold, Nancy Altman, Social Security, Jobs Crisis, Tea Party, Strengthen Social Security, Robert Reich, Debt Crisis, President Obama, Deficit Reduction Commission, Federal Deficit, People's Budget, Center for America's Future, Dick Durbin, Bill Daley, Medicaid, Entitlement Reform, Citizens for Tax Justice, Senator Bernie Sanders, Debt Ceiling, Robert Borosage, William Greider, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Center for Economic Policy and Research, American Dream Movement, Elizabeth Drew, Senator Richard Durbin, Medicare, Gang of Six, Dean Baker, Chicago News
Curtis Black

Now that the debt ceiling crisis is behind us, it's time to take a look at Senator Durbin's role in shifting the debate away from the jobs crisis and legitimizing attacks on Social Security.

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Employer-Side Payroll Tax Cut Won't Increase Hiring

Daniel Marans | Posted 08.24.2011

Read More: Jared Bernstein, Deficit, Unemployment, Social Security, Payroll Tax Holiday, Federal Budget Deficit, Dean Baker, Politics News
Daniel Marans

There's just no guarantee that these companies would take advantage of the tax cut to invest in expansion and hiring. Shouldn't the same logic hold true for the employer-side payroll tax cut?

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Nicholas Kristof's Boneheaded "Paean to Economists"

Mark Engler | Posted 08.07.2011

Read More: Neoliberalism, Economists, Nicholas Kristof, Philanthrocapitalism, Dean Baker, Education, Economics, Capitalism, Social Development, Recession, Impact News
Mark Engler

The injustices of unfettered capitalism are not an accident -- they are a product of a system whose academic advocates have a lot to answer for. Economists have done enough of late. Let's hold the paeans.

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Dave Jamieson

Job Losses Mount In Local Governments

HuffingtonPost.com | Dave Jamieson | Posted 08.03.2011

Read More: Unemployment, Economic Stimulus Package, Unemployment Rate, Unemployment Local Government, Local Government Jobs Report, Jobs Report, Economic Recovery, Government Jobs, Barack Obama, Dean Baker, Business News

WASHINGTON -- Most American industries managed add jobs last month, albeit far fewer than expected. But in local governments, the losses continue to m...

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The Social Security/Medicare "Crisis" Is Really a Choice - Between the Middle Class and the Wealthy

Richard (RJ) Eskow | Posted 07.17.2011

Read More: Dave Johnson, Strengthen Social Security, Tom Coburn, Debt Crisis, Medicare, Social Security, Dean Baker, Politics News
Richard (RJ) Eskow

We're being told that there's a "crisis" and we can no longer afford the middle-class American dream. The truth is the opposite: Our worst long-term problems aren't caused by the middle class, but by politicians who sacrifice the middle class for wealthy interests.

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Weekly Audit: Hostile Takeover Threat Spurs Concessions from Michigan Unions

The Media Consortium | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Sexism, EARTHA JANE MELZER, Sally Kohn, Chris Hayes, Pension, Union, Detroit, Laura Flanders, YES! MAGAZINES, Jamelle Bouie, Supreme Court, Paul Abowd, Dean Baker, Shock Doctrine, Grittv, EMERGENCY MANAGER, Tapped, Wal-Mart, Wage, American Prospect, In These Times, Scott Lemieux, Michigan Messenger, Discrimination, Michigan, Class Action, JENNY LEE, Police, Farm, Labor, Fire, Politics News
The Media Consortium

By Lindsay Beyerstein, Media Consortium blogger Michigan's new Emergency Manager Law is already forcing major concessions from unions. The law gives t...

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Tough Loving the NYTimes #2: Japan's 'Generational Roadblock'

Paul Kleyman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Ageism, New York Times, Baby Boomers, Unemployment, Japan, Economics, Dean Baker, Japan Economy, Japan Unemployment, Japanese Economy, Japan Youth Unemployment, Media News
Paul Kleyman

For me a cautionary flag goes up whenever I read or hear a piece of so-called journalism that poses an issue in a way that blames a demographic group or otherwise vulnerable population segment.

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A "Pledge of Resistance" to Defend Social Security (and Defund the Empire)

Robert Naiman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Pledge of Resistance, Social Security, Jan Schakowsky, foxon15th, Afghanistan, Washington Post, Obama Afghanistan Troop Level, Dean Baker, Foreign Policy, Politics News
Robert Naiman

For the third time in the last 20 years, establishment voices, with high-profile slots in traditional media, are trying to convince the public to accept cuts to Social Security by endlessly claiming it necessary without providing any evidence.

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Economists, Analysts Predict How The Average American Will Fare In 2011

The Huffington Post | Ryan McCarthy and Amy Lee | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Muni Debt Crisis, Edward Harrison, Job Market, Eurozone, Mark Zandi, Unemployment, Stock Prices 2011, Unemployment Rate, Economy 2011, Economic Predictions 2011, Economic Predictions, Bank of America, Glenn Hubbard, Jobs, Chris Whalen, Dean Baker, Business News

We all remember the worst of 2010: high unemployment, an ongoing foreclosure crisis and megabanks, whose legally dubious practices in foreclosing on m...

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William Alden

Economists Urge Tighter Mortgage Standards: 'People Are Getting Away With Anything'

HuffingtonPost.com | William Alden | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Mortgages, Mortgage Servicers, Mary Schapiro, Economic Crisis, Mortgage Crisis, Business News, Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner, Homeowners, Foreclosure, Sheila Bair, Dean Baker, Video, Business News

Citing an urgent need to address questionable mortgage and foreclosure practices that have helped stall the broader economic recovery, a group of econ...

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William Alden

Small Banks Struggling -- And Small Businesses Are Being Dragged Down With Them

HuffingtonPost.com | William Alden | Posted 11.30.2010

Read More: Small Business, Fdic, Wells Fargo, Umpqua Bank, Economic Crisis, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, Business News, John Silvia, Sheila Bair, Small Business America, Small Banks, Edward Friedman, Dean Baker, Moody's, Business News

As the American economy shows encouraging signs of improvement, one crucial relationship threatens to impede expansion: Many small banks remain in poo...

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Weekly Audit: Millions of Americans Could Lose Unemployment Benefits

The Media Consortium | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Fed, Review, House, Paycheck Fairness Act, Charles Ferguson, The Progressive, Movie, Ui, The Nation, Film, Denise DiStephan, Extension, Laura Flanders, Grittv, Unemployment, Matthew Rothschild, Quantitative Easing, Working in These Times, In These Times, David Moberg, Senate, Economy, Dean Baker, Politics News
The Media Consortium

Weekly Audit: Millions of Americans Could Lose Unemployment BenefitsEditor's Note: Happy Thanksgiving from the Media Consortium! This week, we aren't ...

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Jason Linkins

No Financial Speculation Tax: Morgan Stanley Leaves Their Mark On The Chairmen

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Chairman's Mark, Financial Speculation Tax, Erskine Bowles, Deficit Commission, Eat the Press, Dean Baker, Paul Krugman, Bob Herbert, Politics News

For more on the abject unseriousness of the Deficit Commission's "chairman's mark," we go live to Dean Baker at the Center For Economic and Policy Res...

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Weekly Audit: Foreclosuregate Hits Home

The Media Consortium | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Market, Foreclosures, Democracy Now!, Edolpus Towns, Moratorium, The Note, Bank of America, Chris Hayes, The Nation, Alan Grayson, Foreclosure Crisis, Mortgage, Truthout, Mother Jones, Zach Carter, Bond, Andy Kroll, Private Property, Liar Loans, Liar Liens, Dean Baker, Politics News
The Media Consortium

Weekly Audit: Foreclosuregate Hits Homeby Lindsay Beyerstein, Media Consortium blogger Earlier this month, Bank of America (BOA), the country's larges...

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Klein: 4 Candidates The White House Should Hire

Newsweek | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Ezra Klein, Mark McClellan, Christina Romer, Obama Advisers, Obama, Karen Kornbluh, Dean Baker, Politics News

First Peter Orszag turned in his ID card. Then Christina Romer went. In short order, Larry Summers and Rahm Emanuel announced their exits. Jim Jones i...

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Cold Case File: Who Shot Down a 70-Year-Old Attack on Social Security?

Richard (RJ) Eskow | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Ious, Social Security Advisory Council, Joseph Stiglitz, Paul Krugman, Alan Simpson, Deficit Commission, Social Security Head Actuary, Social Security Trust Fund, Social Security IOUs, Dean Baker, Cold Case, Politics News
Richard (RJ) Eskow

How did we reach such a state of confusion about the solvency of Social Security? Actuaries deal in probabilities and statistics. What were the odds we'd be so confused in 2010?

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