With the jobless rate floating above 8%, the American people are ready to hand President Obama a pink slip. Listen to my commentary on National Public Radio or read the transcript below:

Long before Donald Trump’s “Apprentice,” Billy Crystal starred in the movie “Mr. Saturday Night.” Crystal plays a crotchety TV host who chews out his staff: “You’re fired! You’re fired!” One guys squeaks, “I don’t work here.” Crystal says, “You’re hired. Now you’re fired! Get outta here!”

Americans… Continue Reading →

With all the chatter about 1% vs. 99% from the Occupy folks, it’s no surprise Leonardo DiCaprio just started filming a remake of The Great Gatsby.  But I think we can learn much more from Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, which features F. Scott Fitzgerald but ultimately embraces our modern times.  Below is my take, which just shows what happens when an economist bumps into the fiction shelf at the book store:

Some Occupy protestors wave posters, whiskey and hypodermic… Continue Reading →

The New York Post named RUSH one of the best books of 2011.  I’m not sure why, but the editors listed RUSH even above the terrific new biography of Steve Jobs.  “We need the rat race because we’re biologically wired to move forward,” says  Buchholz, “not to sit around like a poached egg on toast.”

What does China make for Americans? China makes GI Joes, China makes some GAP jeans, and China makes flat-screen tvs so we can watch the Superbowl. China makes something else, too. China makes bubbles. No, not bubble gum bubbles, but financial bubbles. And they are far more dangerous when they pop.

China loves to export. And why not, since exports have lifted 200 million Chinese out of poverty.  In 2011, Americans will buy about $375b from China.  But to keep its… Continue Reading →

Forbes does a great job creating a slide show on “10 Reasons Work Is Good For You.”  Though plenty of preachers, pundits and psychologists might tell you to retreat from the hustle and bustle of the workplace, Forbes combs through Rush for a smarter point of view.

This week I delivered my monthly commentary on PBS television. Captain America is not over.

It’s been a tough time for America. Shares of Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) have been hammered. American Airlines teetered and tottered with bankruptcy rumors. Well, at least the movie “Captain America” sold a lot of tickets. But with China appearing to dominate world exports, is there any hope for America? The answer is yes. U.S. manufacturing exports have been steadily climbing for the past… Continue Reading →

Why does Germany bail out Zorba the Greek?  It’s not “the economy, stupid.”   It’s culture.  Nietzsche and Freud can teach us more than Keynes and Krugman.  You can listen to my commentary on NPR’s Marketplace.

Heres a provocative piece by a London journalist linking the principles of RUSH to life in London

China’s stimulus plan helped the U.S. far more than President Obama’s bloated scheme in 2009.  China really did launch “shovel-ready” projects, and firms like Caterpillar and United Technologies grabbed export orders. 

But now China’s GDP is skidding.  Is there a good side to this slide?  Yes.  It is crushing commodity prices (20% below April levels).  That means U.S. consumers will pay less for gas and have more left to spend at department stores.  I expect Walmart to report stronger… Continue Reading →

Monday’s New York Times features my oped explaining why Germany can’t say nein to Greece.  It’s not just cash, it’s cultural.  Goethe, Nietzsche and Thomas Mann can teach us more than Keynes and Krugman.  

On the topic of contemporary culture, listen to the witty music of Victoria Miles as she skewers young men disconnected from life and connected only to their video games (“Virtual James”).  Her song on jocks includes the lyric “your balls don’t impress me.”