The Feed

By Linda J. Blimes and Shelby Chodos Twenty-five years ago, President Ronald Reagan angered many Democrats with a broad effort to eliminate red tape and allow states discretion over federal grants. He called it the New Federalism. A half-century earlier, President Franklin Roosevelt angered many Republicans by using federal dollars to put millions back to ...

Key Findings: Several years into this recession, the overall amount of underwater mortgage debt is still very high. Recent estimates show that a third of all houses with a mortgage owe more than the home is worth, and the total amount of underwater mortgage debt could come to $1.2 trillion. The most recent empirical evidence, ...

The leaders of France and Germany may have their differences on the big question of the day — stimulus versus austerity. But they do agree on one thing — taxing financial transactions. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was hot on the idea of a small tax on each trade of stocks, derivatives, and other financial ...

Seventy-five years ago, Social Security was very nearly derailed by a hostile Supreme Court. Today seemed like déjà vu all over again. Back in 1937, as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration prepared to put the massive new Social Security program into effect, it had to contend with litigation claiming that the Constitution did not give ...

Seventy-five years ago, Social Security was very nearly derailed by a hostile Supreme Court. Today seemed like déjà vu all over again. Back in 1937, as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration prepared to put the massive new Social Security program into effect, it had to contend with litigation claiming that the Constitution did not give ...

“Voter ID, which is going to allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania — Done” In that single sentence, part of a recitation of accomplishments by the Republican majority in Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives, one of the state’s senior GOP lawmakers blew the cover Saturday on his party’s national campaign to keep millions of ...

Instead of making elections mandatory, we should make them more competitive. One of the strongest predictors of voter turnout is whether voters have meaningful choices. If we care about increasing voter turnout, we ought to care about enhancing political competition. Increasing competition has other benefits as well. Competitive pressures keep elected officials more accountable and ...

Increasing numbers of people are concerned that the Supreme Court has become overtly political. Now, where could anyone get that crazy idea? Maybe they’re reading Justice Antonin Scalia’s dissent(jeremiad?) in Monday’s decision in the Arizona immigration case, which would sound right at home on talk radio. Here’s a sample: But there has come to pass, and ...

Republicans have successfully shoved the Paycheck Fairness Act back into the closet, but it will eventually pop out again, possibly taking some hinges with it. The debate over this proposed legislation reveals serious flaws in reasoning about the impact of public efforts to promote fair pay. Recent academic research suggests that many women are underpaid for the same ...

Republicans blame President Obama for the economy’s slow recovery. They note, correctly, that recovery from previous recessions was much quicker. But that’s like comparing recovery from a mild cold with that from severe pneumonia: No one would blame the doctor if the latter took a long time. A careful diagnosis shows that we can restore ...