Sunday, November 9, 2025
Misunderstanding Public Pension Fund Implications of Thole v. US Bank and Mayberry v. KKR
How some commentators are misreading two recent court cases on pensions: Thole v. US Bank and Mayberry v. KKR.
Introducing *An Economic Program for American Democracy*
A 1938 economic manifesto makes modern day schemes look inadequate and unimaginative.
“Cancel Culture,” Race and the Greed of the Billionaire Class
Why cancel culture gets the elites off the inequality hook.
Hysteria Ensues as Trump Administration Orders Hospitals to Send COVID-19 Data to HHS, not the CDC
When HHS decided to take COVID-19 data collection away from CDC, that might have been a smart move.
2:00PM Water Cooler 7/16/2020
~ Today’s Water Cooler ~
Mask Mandates and Other Lockdown Policies Reduced the Spread of Covid-19 in the US
If the US had on 1 April 2020 universally mandated that employees of public-facing businesses use masks, there could have been nearly 40% fewer deaths by the start of June.
New Study Slams Public Pension Funds’ Alternative Investments as Drag on Performance, Identifies CalPERS as One of the Worst “Negative Alphas”; Shows Folly of CalPERS’ Desperate Plan to Increase Private Equity and Debt and Go Bigger Using Leverage
A new paper shows that public pension fund investment in “alts” like real estate and private equity hurt returns and failed to lower risk.
The European Union’s Fateful Choices for Recovery – An Italian Perspective
To fight COVID-19, the European Union must recognize that spending restraints have to go.
2:00PM Water Cooler 7/15/2020
~ Today’s Water Cooler ~
COVID-19 Mistakes to Avoid: Don’t Mix Up Prophylaxis and Cure
Big Pharma is promoting untested proprietary vaccines and therapies and giving short shrift to repurposing cheaper generic alternatives.
Trump Admin Retracts Rule that Would Have Cancelled Visas for Foreign College Students Who Only Study Online
Trump backs down on plan too toss out foreign students who are forced to study on-line, as many universities circumscribe in-person classes,
US Corporations a Driving Force Behind ‘Unprecedented Wave’ of Global Land Privatization: Report
This Oakland Institute study documents how the neoliberal project proceeds, with US interests pushing to privatize land in the Global South.
