August 8, 2011
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe this week (8/8/11), we discussed S&P’s decision to downgrade the US’ credit rating and their reasons for doing so. In the charts below, we compare our debt and deficit to 5 European nations – Germany, France, the UK, Belgium, and Spain. On the surface, it appears that the US economy is not […]
August 3, 2011
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Wednesday, August 3rd, we discussed how the recently-passed debt deal lacks any long-term solutions to the deficit and the state of the US economy. The first chart below shows that the deal will not decrease spending as a percentage of the GDP in a meaningful way, nor does it increase […]
August 2, 2011
Americans traveled to work on Monday amidst a cruel irony: As they read in their morning newspapers about the suspense-laden budget deal that averted default, the Institute for Supply Management was announcing that in July, U.S. manufacturing output slumped to a two-year low. That stark juxtaposition neatly illustrated the utter lack of integration in the […]
July 25, 2011
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Monday, July 25th, we took a look at revenue vs. spending over the last 10 years, illustrating the progression from a surplus in 2000 to the current deficit. It is clear that we not only need to cut spending, which is almost at 24% now (in contrast to 18% in […]
July 22, 2011
Originally published in Wall Street Journal, Letters, on July 22, 2011. It would be wonderful if the Robert Lucas-Daniel Henninger thesis—that suffocating President Obama’s economic policies have knocked America’s historic high rates of productivity growth off their perch—were correct, because then at least we would know the cause of our current economic malaise and by […]
July 14, 2011
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Thursday, July 14th, we discussed the sources of the current debt crisis, noting that the $14 trillion of total outstanding debt is only the tip of the iceberg. The charts below illustrate our debt obligations once we factor in the total unfunded Social Security liability and unfunded Medicare liability figures. Morning Joe […]
July 11, 2011
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Monday, July 11th, I explained the leading causes of the current budget deficit. Please see the chart below. Morning Joe Charts – Causes of the Deficit – 7.11.11 You can view the segment from Monday’s show dealing with the discussion on the causes of the deficit and the ongoing […]
July 6, 2011
On today’s episode of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, we discussed the different Republican and Democratic deficit reduction plans, from Bowles-Simpson to the President’s plan, and debated the likelihood that President Obama will “fold” on the debt deal—as Pat Buchanan feels —or hold his ground and push through a deal that will include the badly-needed revenue enhancers […]
June 27, 2011
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Monday, June 27th, we discussed the budget crisis on a state level, taking a look at the massive budget shortfalls resulting from overspending and lack of revenue. Please see the charts below. Morning Joe Charts – State Budgets and Federal Stimulus Funds – 6.27.11 To see the charts explained, and […]
June 13, 2011
Many people have requested access to the charts I used on Morning Joe on June, 13, 2011 to illustrate the educational attainment levels in 1992 versus 2010, and the change in real weekly pay from 1979-2010 and 2007-2010, as related to education levels. Click below to view these charts. Morning Joe Charts – Education – […]
