New York Times (February 1, 2012)
If implemented, a Buffet Rule that requires “million-dollar earners to pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes” would lift the tax rates of about 94,500 millionaires and bring in an additional $50 billion. The New York Times calls the Buffet Rule a good start “toward making the rich pay a fairer share and reduce the mounting cuts to government programs that benefit the less fortunate.”
If implemented, a Buffet Rule that requires “million-dollar earners to pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes” would lift the tax rates of about 94,500 millionaires and bring in an additional $50 billion. The New York Times calls the Buffet Rule a good start “toward making the rich pay a fairer share and reduce the mounting cuts to government programs that benefit the less fortunate.”
Tags: Buffet rule, Government, Millionaires, Taxes, U.S.
The Economist (November 5)
“Once the Fukushima nuclear plant is stable, the government should temporarily nationalise its operator.” The Economist believes the government must “act fast to nationalise Tepco, and hold it temporarily in public ownership as it clears out the old management and oversees the clean-up. Then it should reprivatise a thoroughly reformed utility.”
Tags: Clean-up, Fukushima, Government, Management, Tepco
Time (October 3)
Kids don’t study enough is the common complaint. South Korea faces a different problem: Children are studying too hard. Government officials have started patrols to “find children who are studying after 10 p.m. And stop them.” The officials hope “to reduce the country’s addiction to private, after-hours tutoring academies (called hagwons).” South Korea hopes to curb excesses “to reduce student stress and reward softer qualities like creativity.”
Tags: Creativity, Government, South Korea, Studying
Financial Times (August 9)
“More regulatory foresight could perhaps have averted the nuclear meltdowns caused by the earthquake and tsunami in March.” The Financial Times approves of government plans to overhaul nuclear regulation in Japan, shifting regulatory functions from METI to break up the “damaging conflict of interest” that compromised safety.
Tags: Government, Japan, METI, Nuclear meltdown, Regulation
Wall Street Journal (August 5)
“They say there’s always a silver lining. Yesterday there wasn’t.” Worldwide, markets were battered and a common “theme among the wreckage was a generalized loss of confidence in the policy-making role of governments, here and in Europe.” More specifically, the Journal points to the main problem. “The economies of Europe and the United States have arrived at the moment when they no longer have any conceivable hope of being able to pay for the huge public commitments they’ve amassed the past 40 years.”
“They say there’s always a silver lining. Yesterday there wasn’t.” Worldwide, markets were battered and a common “theme among the wreckage was a generalized loss of confidence in the policy-making role of governments, here and in Europe.” More specifically, the Journal points to the main problem. “The economies of Europe and the United States have arrived at the moment when they no longer have any conceivable hope of being able to pay for the huge public commitments they’ve amassed the past 40 years.”
Tags: Confidence, Government, Markets, U.S., UK
Wall Street Journal (July 27)
“Saturday’s tragic train crash near Wenzhou, in the coastal province of Zhejiang, raises important questions about the Chinese government’s ability to ensure basic safety standards.” The Journal points to the difficulty top-down Chinese institutions have in developing and supervising complex systems. “Like a multinational corporation with a long supply chain, a high-speed rail network depends on individuals at multiple levels of command taking responsibility for effective local operations. China’s predilection for top-down organization makes it difficult for information to flow horizontally and for subordinates to take the initiative to make improvements.”
Tags: China, Government, High-Speed Rail, Safety, Top-down
Time (June 16, 2011)
A year of austerity has left many Greeks nearly broke or unemployed, “and the debt-ridden country no better off.” Greece now has the ignominy of holding the world’s lowest debt rating, following S&P’s most recent downgrade on June 13. Athen’s Syntagma Square (Constitution Square) has become the daily scene of protests and riots. The government appears near dead, with neither major party able to offer leadership. It’s difficult “to see any clear champion for the millions of Greeks struggling to get by.”
A year of austerity has left many Greeks nearly broke or unemployed, “and the debt-ridden country no better off.” Greece now has the ignominy of holding the world’s lowest debt rating, following S&P’s most recent downgrade on June 13. Athen’s Syntagma Square (Constitution Square) has become the daily scene of protests and riots. The government appears near dead, with neither major party able to offer leadership. It’s difficult “to see any clear champion for the millions of Greeks struggling to get by.”
Tags: Debt, Downgrade, Government, Greece, S&P, Unemployment
The Economist (April 7)
“This painful truth is no longer news in the rich world, and many governments have started to deal with the ageing problem.” But the official retirement age will have to rise much more than is being discussed. “Older people are going to have to stay economically active longer than governments currently envisage.”
“This painful truth is no longer news in the rich world, and many governments have started to deal with the ageing problem.” The official retirement age will have to rise much more than is being discussed. “Older people are going to have to stay economically active longer than governments currently envisage.”
Tags: Aging, Government, Retirement
Economist (March 25)
Japan’s multi-front disaster reveals “a crisis of leadership.” Even with exceptions for the disaster’s massive scope, “some of the suffering is avoidable.” The Government’s response has been muddled, hampering relief efforts. While the stoicism of the disaster victims is admirable, it is “time for the Japanese to unleash some righteous anger on a system that has let them down.”
Tags: Change, Disaster, Government, Japan, Stoicism
Financial Times (March 15)
Can anything good come of Japan’s disaster? Martin Wolf dismisses fears that rebuilding will financially strap the government of Japan. In fact, the rebuilding effort may provide the focus to jumpstart a country that’s been floundering for decades. “It is in adversity that a country shows its mettle. The Japanese will surely do just that, on this occasion. It is for the leaders to match the mettle of the people. If they are able to do so, out of a great disaster may yet come a rebirth.”
Tags: Disaster, Economy, Government, Japan, Rebuilding