Outside the Beltway

Social Security outlays are exceeding its income. Is that really a problem?

Does “Occupy Wall Street” really represent the people they claim to be speaking for?

The Examiner’s David Freddoso has a few words for the Occupy DC protesters: “Get off my lawn!”

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. believes the Congress is “in rebellion” and therefore President Obama should exercise extraordinary constititutional means” to implement a massive jobs plan.

The prospects for real economic recovery are not good.

With the advantage of hindsight, it’s clear that more creative strategies were needed. But they probably couldn’t have been passed.

Harry Reid is playing hardball, invoking a tactic that he himself decried being threatened when Republicans were in charge.

Mitt Romney is still being dogged by charges of changed positions. Now, he’s trying to spin that as a good thing.

President Obama would like to sell you something.

As more details roll in on President Obama’s millionaire tax hike, it’s looking like it was drawn up by J. Wellington Wimpy: “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.”

We won’t solve our fiscal problems by soaking “the rich.”

James Carville has some advice for Barack Obama. It boils down to “be like Bill Clinton.”

With the economy at the forefront of the public’s mind, the GOP needs to be careful in its response to President Obama’s new jobs bill.

Karl Smith does the math and doesn’t see why the Federal government should be collecting ANY taxes right now.

Not surprisingly, there was very little about the President’s jobs speech to write home about.

America is discovering that throwing money at an industry in the hope it will create jobs doesn’t work.

Mitt Romney’s jobs plan is detailed, but it doesn’t seem to be impressing anyone.

Democrats are fearing the President’s jobs plan will be underwhelming. Based on initial reports, it looks like their fears are well-placed.

Why was the ATF allowing thousands of weapons to be smuggled to Mexican drug gangs?

It never ceases to amaze me how many smart people manage to believe, against all evidence to the contrary, that their political philosophy has massive support.

No matter how weak he becomes, no President will ever be completely irrelevant to the political process.

Did World War II teach us anything about spending-as-stimulus? Not really.

The failure of a solar energy firm in California is raising questions about a centerpiece of the Administration’s economic policy.

A political scientist whose formula has correctly picked every presidential winner since 1984 says Barack Obama will be re-elected.

Details of the President’s jobs plan are starting to leak out, and they’re not looking impressive.

Repeating the “destruction creates wealth” fallacy every time there’s a natural disaster doesn’t make it any less of a fallacy.

Is America’s political system to blame for our current problems?

Ben Bernanke didn’t offer many clues in his speech today, but one wonders if he really has any tricks left up his sleeve.

He’s been out of office for more than two years, but George W. Bush is still being blamed for the state of the economy.

Either a bunch of bloggers or one of the world’s smartest economists doesn’t understand economics.

The world is likely to get worse before it gets better.

According to Paul Krugman, what the American economy needs is for a bunch of space aliens to invade us.

If we cannot adequately diagnose our problems it will be even harder to fix them.

The immediate reaction among the political class to the debt downgrade was the play the same old stupid games.

Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff says we’re undergoing much more than a mere recession.

Now that America’s political leadership have probably averted a self-inflicted global economic calamity, it’s time to assess the winners and losers.

Congress failing to raise the debt ceiling would involve abrogating an enormous amount of power to the Executive.

By insisting on perfection in the debt ceiling debate, the Tea Party has made itself irrelevant to the process.

Charles Krauthammer claims we are in the midst of a great debate. I am not so sure.

It is always useful to go inside the numbers.

Barack Obama’s biggest enemy in the debt negotiations has been himself.

In the 80’s it was yachts, today it’s private jets. The argument is the same, and it’s still without merit.

It isn’t just President Obama who should be worried about the economy next year.

While unemployment remains stubbornly high, Washington is spending its time fighting over the budget deficit