War Dollars, Care Dollars (and No Sense)
It seems like a good time to compare the running tally of war dollars with the cost of relentless attacks on public care provision in the United States.
Left Hook Economics contributors focus on critical analysis of the Trump administration’s economic policies, explaining threats to our economic future, and advancing alternative policy approaches in terms that are accessible to all.
As with the subprime lending crisis, crypto appears to be more of an example of predatory inclusion than enhancing financial access.
As more and more pass-through business income goes to the super-rich, the income share of the top 1% doubles.
The stated rationale for jettisoning environmental protections is that they are inefficient and have “suffocated” the economy. But economic benefits must be weighed against costs, including impacts on human health.
Nothing less than saving the planet is at stake.
Cryptofinance, including cryptocurrency, is the newest hot item in the world of financial “innovation.”
Instead of competing with native-born workers for jobs, immigrant workers actually tend to complement native-born workers.
While many things taught in introductory economics courses are nonsense, it seems to be true that higher wages will attract more workers.
The features of the bill that are likely to help ordinary people were catchy and easy to understand—reduced taxes on tips and overtime pay and a higher standard deduction for the elderly on income taxes. Yet these projected revenue losses are tiny compared to those incurred by the super rich.
There are other ways to organize U.S. international trade. The neoliberal free trade of recent decades and the trade restrictions of Trumpian tariffs are not the only options.
Here are three views of the bill's horrific distributional consequences.
As of today, the U.S. government’s current deficit and debt are indeed currently at unprecedented levels for peacetime—once we account for them appropriately.
Even the stand-alone No Tax on Tips Act would do far too little to better the lot of low-income workers, even tipped workers.