Wall Street Journal (December 5, 2013)
Chinese “leaders are attempting to create an innovation ecosystem whereby government ministries funnel money through universities, think-tanks, businesses of all sizes, cities, real-estate developers and venture-capital investors.” Despite massive governmental support, “China still has trouble retaining its best and brightest talents onshore…. A growing number of Chinese scientists who had returned to China from the West are now leaving again.” While there are many reasons, including environmental pollution, the stifling political environment seems to be the largest factor. Innovative people generally don’t want to live where “they can’t network on Facebook or voice freewheeling opinions on any topic, business or political, under the sun.”
Tags: China, Chinese, Environment, Facebook, Government, Innovativon, Investors, Ministries, Network, Opinions, Politics, Pollution, Real estate, Scientists, Talent, Think-tanks, Venture-capital, West
Washington Post (November 28, 2013)
The government in Egypt is “steering toward autocracy rather than democracy…. The Obama administration has been eager to show support for Egypt’s leadership, but it is long past time to be honest about its behavior.”
Financial Times (November 11, 2013)
“Japan’s inflationary momentum remains worryingly sluggish. The recent acceleration in prices is the result of surging energy costs, not of domestically generated inflation. Regular wages–excluding overtime and bonuses–fell for a 16th consecutive month in September…. The government must be ready to take more of an activist line to secure its objective.… The government should also be much bolder in its structural reform agenda, aimed at stimulating the rate of long-term growth.”
Tags: Bonuses, Energy costs, Government, Growth, Inflation, Japan, Momentum, Overtime, Sluggish, Structural reform, Wages
The Economist (October 26)
“The euro mess has morphed from an acute crisis into a chronic one.” In contrast with the progress made on sovereign debt, however, “the euro zone has made less headway than other places in reducing this private-debt burden…. If the euro zone’s recovery is to strengthen, this burden of private debt must be lightened. According to the IMF, private debt is a bigger drag on Europe’s growth than government debt.”
Tags: Burden, Crisis, Euro zone, Europe, Government, Growth, IMF, Private-debt, Progress, Recovery, Sovereign debt
Washington Post (October 17)
“At almost literally the eleventh hour, Congress has approved legislation that will end a costly 16-day partial government shutdown and avert the potentially greater disaster of a default on federal obligations.” Unfortunately, the deal “buys only a short interval of peace.” When that period expires early next year, “it is all too possible that Congress will fail to agree and will deliver the country to the brink of another shutdown or default.”
Tags: Congress, Default, Government, Legislation, Obligations, Peace, Shutdown, U.S.
Washington Post (October 15)
“A reopening, for now, of government, a postponement for a few months of a possible default on federal debts, a promise to negotiate again over fiscal disagreements — in a rational, functional world, these meager accomplishments would not be cause for celebration. In today’s Washington, they would count as achievements.”“A reopening, for now, of government, a postponement for a few months of a possible default on federal debts, a promise to negotiate again over fiscal disagreements — in a rational, functional world, these meager accomplishments would not be cause for celebration. In today’s Washington, they would count as achievements.”
Tags: Achievements, Celebration, Default, Federal debt, Functional, Government, Rational, Reopening, Washington
Bloomberg (October 4)
“The U.S. doesn’t deserve Asia’s money, not with half of its government in financial jihad mode…. The biggest economy has long taken its reserve-currency status for granted, but the events of recent days raise Washington’s hubris to entirely new levels…. The more the U.S. plays with fire with its Aaa rating, the more Asia will find an alternative.”
Tags: Aaa rating, Asia, Economy, Government, Hubris, Reserve currency, U.S., Washington
New York Times (September 30)
Driving “the United States government to the brink of shutting down,” the House of Representatives “decided that crippling health care reform was more important than keeping the government’s doors open. It was one of the most irresponsible votes since the last shutdown in 1996.” The Senate should “reject the entire House package immediately,” but “it may be impossible to prevent a shutdown at this point if the House continues to prefer dueling to governing.”
Tags: Governing, Government, Health care reform, House of Representatives, Ｉrresponsible, Senate, Shutdown, U.S.
Washington Post (September 25)
“If the federal government shuts down Oct. 1, a depressingly plausible prospect, D.C. residents will feel the impact more than most Americans because the city is barred from spending its revenues absent a federal appropriation. Even though D.C.’s budget is largely comprised of locally raised taxes, in a shutdown only essential services can continue. That translates into fewer garbage pickups, no street cleaning and shuttered libraries and recreation centers.”
Tags: Essential services, Garbage, Government, Libraries, Recreation, Revenues, Shutdown, Streets, Taxes, U.S., Washington D.C.
Wall Street Journal (September 20)
“What will German voters be choosing when they go to the polls on Sunday? A new Parliament, definitely, but not likely a new direction for their government. In this year’s federal election campaign, the parties’ platforms could have been written two years ago, the candidates for Chancellor are allergic to bold ideas, and opinion polls have been flat for months, only tightening a little in the last few weeks. Europe’s most important election since the financial crisis is an election about nothing.”
Tags: Bold ideas, Campaign, Chancellor, Election, Europe, Financial Crisis, Germany, Government, Opinion polls, Parliament, Polls, Voters