GM

The new issue of National Affairs is out, which means it's time to read CCNY professor Daniel DiSalvo's piece on public sector unionism. DiSalvo explains the history of public sector unions, and the damage they've done to state finances. My favorite part:

Motor Trend magazine's blog reported this week that Cadillac, the flagship luxury brand of our very own Government Motors, has engaged in a sponsorship deal with a state-owned Chinese propaganda film company to link its cars with a new film on the glorious history of the Chinese Communist Party.

Andrew Ross Sorkin has a very interesting column this week examining the signal sent by GM’s purchase of AmeriCredit.  The short answer: GM looks like it’s trying to revive the old patterns of demand before the recession.  It’s doing so by following some of the same business practices that led to its bankruptcy filing last summer.

Since 2008, the federal government and the Federal Reserve have spent some $3 trillion to secure the financial system and prevent a second Great Depression. What did all this money buy us? A really expensive life jacket.

Before he started the late New York Sun, Ira Stoll had a great blog called Smartertimes.com, in which he pointed out the Gray Lady's errors, inconsistencies, and absurdities on a regular basis.

Looks like Dodd will retire, too, making Connecticut's seat a somewhat harder pick-up for Republicans as Democrats will find a candidate who's less scandal-ridden. Too bad.