In headcold hell today, but am starting to go stir crazy to do *something* despite my thickheadedness. Thus for your enjoyment here are some links without the big insightful posts I’d intended to write (for weeks now, alas).
Economic news to make you gnash your teeth: Bush tax cuts make balancing budget impossible in 2007 through 2010. The trend beyond 2010 is even more scary, particularly when you look at the comparison between that lost revenue and benefits through Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid. I am still rather unclear on what exactly these "conservatives" are supposed to be conserving; smells like bad fiscal management to me.
More pleasing economic historical analysis from Nicholas Wade, "In Dusty Archives, a Theory of Affluence" which anyone interested in the transition from traditional economies to industrial ones will find thought-provoking.
MetaGrrrl 
Hey Dinah — I didn’t even know that you had a blog. I stumbled on your site while reading some anti-[company] rants in preparation for a talk at the NORCAL [user group meeting].
“Farewell to Alms” does look really interesting, but its arguments are kind of scary. From the reviews, it sounds like the author believes that Malthus and the Social Darwinists were right — he argues that there is a biological difference between people who get rich (they plan for the future and save more) and people who stay poor (they don’t plan for the future and spend everything they get right away)
[edited by Dinah for reduced search engine hits on personal life from work life]
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Yes, I suspect I’d come away from “Farewell to Alms” excited about the data and potentially irked by the conclusion the author chooses to draw.
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