I recently read Tom Daschle’s new book, “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care Crisis” (co-authored with Jeanne M. Lambrew and Scott S. Greenberger). This book has particular relevance since he will soon be the new czar of health care reform in the Obama administration. Arguing that it would be politically infeasible for […]

In his op-ed piece of last Sunday’s Washington Post, Larry Summers underscored that the Obama administration’s fiscal stimulus package is being designed not only to create “jobs and incomes essential for recovery,” but also to make “a down payment on our nation’s long-term financial health.” He illustrates this point by noting the importance of investments […]

It is difficult not to wonder about this. When I discuss the matter with my friends, the inevitable point is made that it is really hard to spend $50 billion dollars, even over a 10-15 year period. So where did it all go and what does this have to do with our fiscal deficit? My […]

As the United States Government seeks to dig the economy out of a recession through a massive fiscal stimulus package, many voices continue to remind us that the larger challenge to be faced is the large and growing long-term fiscal debt. For example, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CPBB) has just issued budgetary […]

These first few weeks since the election have been enormously heartening. The Obama administration’s cabinet is beginning to take shape with nominees of high quality—well trained, pragmatic, with enormous experience, and good judgment. This signal that a sensible economic policy strategy will be put in place in the coming months is reassuring, given the extraordinarily […]