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The National Debt has never been far from the forefront of our political discourse in recent years, serving as the ration d’etre for the Tea Party and similar groups, mostly conservative. It has again percolated to the media surface- on television last… more »

I have been in the woodshed, as musicians like to say, studying up on the National Debt. I will report back on that topic shortly. As I anticipated, the Senate finessed its way around filibuster reform and approved a compromise modification worked out… more »

This week, the Senate is taking up filibuster reform. This somewhat arcane procedure employed by the Upper Chanber to guarantee the minority is heard by allowing for extensive debate on pending legislation has mutated into a tool of obstruction. By rule… more »

A day for the media. Barack Obama was inaugurated for his second term and delivered an address that was assertive in tone. The nation- or at least some part of it- reflected on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. The sports media is rampi… more »

As we approach the centennial of the ratification of the 16th Amendment, which gave the Federal Government the power of the income tax, it seems an appropriate time to consider  a hundred years of this authority   has wrought  .  Beginning with the Civi… more »

A few tidbits to munch on: Evan Soltas does an excellent job of elucidating the significance of the trillion-dollar platinum coin in his Bloomberg View post yesterday.  Annie Lowrey explores the relationship between a low-growth economy and a dysfunct… more »