"How my G.O.P. destroyed the U.S. economy." Yes, that is exactly what David Stockman, President Ronald Reagan's director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed piece, "Four Deformations of the Apocalypse."

Get it? Not "destroying." The GOP has already "destroyed" the U.S. economy, setting up an "American Apocalypse."

Yes, Stockman is equally damning of the Democrats' Keynesian policies. But what this indictment by a party insider -- someone so close to the development of the Reaganomics ideology -- says about America, helps all of us better understand how America's toxic partisan-politics "holy war" is destroying not just the economy and capitalism, but the America dream. And unless this war stops soon, both parties will succeed in their collective death wish..........

"How my G.O.P. destroyed the U.S. economy." Yes, that is exactly what David Stockman, President Ronald Reagan's director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed piece, "Four Deformations of the Apocalypse."

Get it? Not "destroying." The GOP has already "destroyed" the U.S. economy, setting up an "American Apocalypse."

Yes, Stockman is equally damning of the Democrats' Keynesian policies. But what this indictment by a party insider -- someone so close to the development of the Reaganomics ideology -- says about America, helps all of us better understand how America's toxic partisan-politics "holy war" is destroying not just the economy and capitalism, but the America dream. And unless this war stops soon, both parties will succeed in their collective death wish..........

Which neatly segues into a discussion about the reckless tenure of technocrat
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articl ... 07007.html

Christina Romer, former chairwoman of President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers and one of the chief architects of the stimulus plan.
Romer predicted -- in graph form, so even I could understand -- that an "unprecedented and pragmatic" $800 billion stimulus would keep the unemployment rate less than 8 percent (rather than push it to 9.5 percent).

Yet as Romer wisely retreats back to academia, we hear something new. Dana Milbank of The Washington Post reported this week that Romer peppered her goodbye remarks with rational thoughts, such as "economists don't fully understand why" and "almost all analysts were surprised" and "failed to anticipate."

The realization that you can't predict the future -- and mold it -- could only come as a shock to an academic.
Romer's recent remarks rationalizing the stimulus failure and advocating more spending offered us another clue into her thinking. "Concern about the deficit," she explained, "cannot be an excuse for leaving unemployed workers to suffer." (Indignant italicizing mine.)

That doesn't sound especially scientific to me.

How does suffering fit into an economist's calculations? Surely some economists believe that extending unemployment benefits is a disincentive -- and thus creates more suffering? Larry Summers, current Obama economic adviser, famously wrote that the unemployment extension could be "an incentive, and the means, not to work."

So what choices are we left with? 1) Romer was completely wrong. 2) Romer was driven by ideology. 3) Economists generally have no clue. 4) Romer felt pressure to come up with numbers that comported with the outlook of her boss. 5) All of the above.

The Democrats could be heading toward a defeat of historic proportions in November, but it is possible to imagine a scenario in which things might have turned out differently:

On Tuesday, Heineman said a Senate bid in two years is still very unlikely but when Nebraska Watchdog started to ask Heineman if he’d “sign a pledge” Heineman didn’t wait for the question to be finished. He jumped in with a clear cut “No.” Asked why he won’t sign a pledge Heineman said, ‘”Because the people of Nebraska, my bosses, are asking me to take a look.”

Nebraska is now even thinner at the linebacker spot.

Husker head coach Bo Pelini issued a statement after Thursday's practice saying sophomore linebacker Will Compton suffered a foot injury during the workout. He is sidelined indefinitely.

“Will was injured during practice today. After practice we were able to confirm that he will be out for some time,” Pelini said. “We have informed his family about the injury, and we will know more about Will’s status going forward in the next few days.”