My dog ate my economic plan

Slate’s John Dickerson via Twitter just now:
“McCain suspending campaign to handle econ.crisis. Debate prep. apparently not going that well. I tried this with papers in college but wow.”
This is still the real world and not some elaborate episode of Punk’d, right?

Thoughts on Social Security

Marketplace did an interesting story on what the under-30 set thinks about the economy.  A recent poll found that the economy is the number one issue for this group in this election cycle–the first time in five years that that honor did not go to the Iraq war.
During the reporter’s interviews with twenty-somethings, Social Security [...]

Palin and Kissinger

Possible reasons that Palin and Kissinger met for 1.5 hours instead of their scheduled 30 minutes:
1. Kissinger had to speak extraaaaa… slooowwwlyyyy….
2. Kissinger kept trying to get Palin to share all the latest gossip that Alaskans have heard about Russia.  (She did not have any.)
3. Palin insisted they discuss world affairs without blinking; made Kissinger [...]

Announcing new Blackberry service: Quickie divorces

I’d make some snide remark about this Sheraton survey result, but I know if I had a Blackberry I’d probably be the same way:
A NEW survey conducted for Sheraton Hotels & Resorts finds that over a third of smart phone users would pick their BlackBerry over their significant other if they absolutely had to choose [...]

Online PBS poll

The GOP has been sending people to vote “Yes” in this online PBS poll asking if Sarah Palin is qualified to be Vice President.  Let’s not give them the satisfaction of winning this tiny, utterly meaningless battle.

George Will vs. John McCain

I’m beginning to wonder if George Will is even going to vote in this election.
Under the pressure of the financial crisis, one presidential candidate is behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high. It is not Barack Obama. [...]
Conservatives who insist that electing McCain is crucial usually start, and increasingly end, by [...]

The fallout

My professors are beginning to speculate about the effect of the Wall Street meltdown on the rest of the economics profession.  Econ professors (and grad students) are paid WAY more than their counterparts in other academic programs, because they have better outside options.  Make that: HAD better outside options.  If we go forward without those [...]

If Obama were on The West Wing

Maureen Dowd and Aaron Sorkin imagine a face-to-face between Bartlet and Obama.

Travelling despite high fuel costs

I love to travel, but recent airfares have kept me home much more than I would have liked in recent months–and I know I’m not the only one with unsatisfied wanderlust thanks to high gas prices.  But while airlines can schedule fewer flights in response to decreased demand, hotels are stuck with a set number [...]

Socialized finance

From Howard Gleckman, over at TaxVox:
So, the Fed and the Bush Administration have now nationalized a $1 trillion company, just a few weeks after rescuing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and a few months after bailing out Bear Stearns. I can’t help but wonder, who has nationalized more assets in the last six [...]