For decades, citizens have been sold on the mantra that the hungry private sector can do a better and cheaper job of providing services than “inefficient” government. Now it is true that there were some badly run government entities that have done better when privatized (the poster child is British Telecom).
Category Archives: Government
Season of Goodwill
Age of Wisdom, Age of Foolishness (9) Written by Adam Whitehead, KeySignals.com A lot of giving of other peoples’ (American taxpayers’) money was evident this Festive Season. Incoming Federal housing stimulus Czar Mel Watt opened up the cold fist of the FHA, which had been clenched by the outgoing Ed “Scrooge” DeMarco, by delaying the …
Two Historic Retreats: 1812 and 1218
How Do 1812 and 12-18 Compare? Age of Wisdom, Age of Foolishness (8) Written by Adam Whitehead, KeySignals.com The historic significance of the number sequences “18/12” and “12/18” depend on which side of the Atlantic one lives on. Europeans will equate “18/12” with Napoleon’s disastrous retreat from a classic example of policy overreach. Americans will …
Federal Reserve Control of the Short-term Interest Rate
Once upon a time, U.S. monetary policy was conducted with its primary target defined in terms of the fed funds rate, which is the interest rate on an overnight loan of Federal Reserve deposits between private banks or other institutions that hold accounts with the Fed.
Re-pricing 2014
Age of Wisdom, Age of Foolishness (7) Written by Adam Whitehead, KeySignals.com Continuing the theme in Age of Wisdom, Age of Foolishness, of playing with dates, the year 2014 comes into focus. As 2013 closes out, forecasters have begun to make projections about the economic environment next year. The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is …