Dollars & Sense articles from March 2008

Dollars & Sense archives from March 2008

From the editors.(Editorial)
March 1, 2008... The media--mainstream and otherwise--have framed the debates about the quickly evolving economic crisis along a variety of axes: Democrats vs. Republicans; Clinton and Obama vs. McCain; Clinton vs. Obama; sometimes even Wall Street vs. Main...

Divorce, Japanese-Style.(the short run)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Women who came of age 20 or 30 years ago in the United States may be forgiven our surprise that the whole work-home-motherhood thing continues to be so fraught. Surely by now, many thought, women would not be sweating it--at least no more than...

Junket postponed.(the short run)(Countrywide was forced to cancel its annual junket)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Homeowners across the country regret having hooked up with Countrywide Financial, the huge mortgage lending company and leading rogue player in the subprime drama. But the many bankers who have been making money initiating mortgages then...

Damned if you do, ...(the short run)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Here's a story for anyone who still thinks playing by the rules is the way to get ahead. Bank of America is poised to jack up the credit-card interest rates on some of its customers to as much as 28%, Business Week reported in February. You...

Ooh, that hurts.(the short run)(Aetna Inc. has postponed its plan to drop coverage for a type of anesthesia commonly used during colonoscopies)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Health care insurer Aetna Inc. has postponed its plan to drop coverage for a type of anesthesia commonly used during colonoscopies, according to the Associated Press. The reason for the planned change was obvious: using any form of sedation...

Cutting back the essentials.(the short run)(consumers cut costs)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... As the U.S. economy continues to show signs of a serious downturn, some consumers are reacting by spending less and saving more. Even the well-off are scrimping, according to a recent New York Times story. Among the heartrending examples:...

Status for sale.(the short run)(car plates on auction)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Conspicuous consumption may be falling out of fashion (for the moment) in the United States--but apparently not in the United Arab Emirates, where car license plates clearly have tremendous power as status symbols. In February, UAE businessman...

The short run.(Cartoon)
March 1, 2008... AS YOUR EMPLOYER, I EXPECT A LOT FROM YOU. IF YOU WANT A REAL CAREER, YOU'LL BE AT THE OFFICE AT LEAST FIFTY HOURS A WEEK. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DON'T EXPECT TIME TO RUN A HOUSEHOLD OR RAISE CHILDREN! NO PROBLEM- MY WIFE HANDLES...

Eviction halted--for now: anti-foreclosure activism turns up the heat on banks and their lackeys.(active culture)
March 1, 2008... Early in the morning of January 23, dozens of activists protested outside the home of Melonie Griffiths-Evans in Boston, Mass. Organized by City Life/Vida Urbana, a local tenants' rights and social justice organization, the protest was aimed at...

It's still the economy, stupid: but which advisers have the candidates' ears, and why?(comment)(United States presidential campaign and financial crisis)(Critical essay)
March 1, 2008... "It's the economy, stupid" was the one memorable slogan to have emerged out of Bill Clinton's successful first run at the presidency in 1992, and it became the overarching theme of his eight years in office. As the U.S. economy has continued to...

Go ahead and lift the cap: assessing a campaign flyer on Social Security.(UP AGAINST THE WALL STREET JOURNAL)
March 1, 2008... Back in January, even before things got really nasty in the Democratic primary, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were already going after each other about taxes and Social Security. The Clinton campaign sent a flyer to Nevada voters before...

A new WPA?(comparing Work Progress Administration to Argentine economic development)
March 1, 2008... Dark clouds are now looming over America's economic future. As first the stock market boom and then the housing boom have come to an end, along with the fountains of cheap credit that were their mainspring, the perennial gale of unemployment is...

West Bengal's right turn.
March 1, 2008... We are concerned about the rancor that has divided the public space, created what appear to be unbridgeable gaps between people who share similar values... The balance of forces in the world is such that it would be impetuous to split the Left...

Testing economics: does the national economics assessment test high Schoolers on economic literacy or economic ideology?
March 1, 2008... Last August the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) program--administered by the federal government's National Center for Education Statistics and well-known for measuring low scores for U.S. students in math, science, and...

Ask Dr. Dollar.
March 1, 2008... Dear Dr. Dollar: doesn't all the war spending stimulate the economy? and shouldn't the bush tax cuts do the same? so why are we falling into recession? --CAITLIN YOUNG, WHITEHALL, NY [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Neither war spending nor...