Watching the lies, damn lies and statistics on U.S. political ads is depressing.
Obama, Romney campaigns accuse each other of lies
The misinformation. 😦
What do economists believe?
JUSTIN WOLFERS:
… There’s remarkable agreement among economists on most policy questions.
… the stimulus succeeded in reducing the jobless rate. On the harder question of whether the benefit exceeded the cost, more than half thought it did, one in three was uncertain, and fewer than one in six disagreed.
Or consider the widely despised bank bailouts … while the public may not like them, there’s a striking consensus that they helped: The same survey found no economists willing to dispute the idea that the bailouts lowered unemployment…
How about the oft-cited Republican claim that tax cuts will boost the economy so much that they will pay for themselves? … The Booth poll couldn’t find a single economist who believed that cutting taxes today will lead to higher government revenue – even if we lower only the top tax rate.
freakonomics – The Secret Consensus Among Economists
NPR Planet Money:
One: Eliminate the mortgage tax deduction, which lets homeowners deduct the interest they pay on their mortgages.
Two: End the tax deduction companies get for providing health-care to employees.
Three: Eliminate the corporate income tax.
Four: Eliminate all income and payroll taxes. … Instead, impose a consumption tax, designed to be progressive to protect lower-income households.
Five: Tax carbon emissions.
Six: Legalize marijuana.
(via Kottke)
Rick McCharles 