Meraglim Blog
Money for Nothing. Here’s a Deep Dive on “Guaranteed Basic Income”
Very few issues unite policy thinkers on the left and right these days. Yet, guaranteed basic income, GBI, is one that does. GBI has been endorsed by left-wing Silicon Valley billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, and by right-wing public intellectuals like Charles Murray. GBI goes by various names including universal basic income,
Kim Jong Un is Taking a Breather. But the North Korean Threat is Still Grave
Kim Jong Un kept up a rapid operational tempo of missile launches and nuclear weapons tests from January through September 2017. Suddenly he has gone quiet. Over two months have passed since he launched a missile or detonated a nuclear bomb. It would be nice to think that he “got the message” from Washington and
Don’t Get Too Euphoric About the Tax Bill. Shutdown, Disappointment Loom
In recent days, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a historic tax reform bill (the first since 1986), and the Senate Finance Committee approved a different Senate version of the tax reform bill and sent it to the full Senate for a vote. This sets up the possibility of a full Senate vote after Thanksgiving,
Europe is Going from Strength to Strength, Contrary to the Naysayers
I have been baffled for years at Americans’ inability to understand Europe and the euro. In 2010, prominent economists such as Paul Krugman, Joe Stiglitz, and Nouriel Roubini were running around saying that Greece should be kicked out of the Eurozone. They said Spain should quit the euro, go back to the peseta as a
Canary in a Coalmine: Venezuelan Credit Defaults Begin; More on the Way
Venezuelan debt crashed and burned last week as described in this article. The major state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, defaulted on its debt. S&P and Fitch ratings declared the company to be in default. The International Swaps & Derivatives Association (ISDA, the rule-making body on over-the-counter derivatives) declared PDVSA credit default swaps
The North Korean Standoff Has Taken on an Added Dimension
The North Korean Standoff Has Taken on an Added Dimension