Japan and the world economy
Stock markets around the world tumbled again today, roiled by the continuing crisis in Japan, as well as other factors, such as the uprisings in the Middle East. Does this mean that Japan’s disaster will have a hugely negative impact on the world economy, as well as its own? No. ...
Greens are against nuclear – and all other forms of energy
In the wake of the Japan disaster, environmentalists are rolling out their anti-nuclear arguments again. But as Alex Berezow, editor of Real Clear Science, points out, greens are “trying to eliminate all the other alternatives as well”.
Oil ...
Narcissistic Americans scare-monger about nuclear power at home
We all watch as the disaster in Japan continues to unfold. The loss of life and destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami are terrible, while the stories of the Japanese people coping are both heartbreaking and impressive. Now there is the threat of a substantial release of radiation, with ...
This week’s articles of note
“The case for a no-fly zone,” The New York Times, by Nicholas Kristof
“Oil and unrest,” Foreign Affairs, by Edward L. Morse
“Is China next?” The Wall Street Journal, by Francis Fukuyama
“Freaks, geeks and GDP: why hasn’t the Internet helped the American economy grow as much as economists ...
NPR: talk of “uneducated” Americans is the real outrage
An embarrassing video has led the Chief Executive of NPR (National Public Radio) to resign. Vivian Schiller offered her resignation a day after a conservative film-maker released a video that captured an NPR fund-raiser talking to people pretending to be donors ...
Debate how to hire, not fire, teachers
With thousands of teachers’ jobs on the chopping block across the country, there is a vigorous debate over how to implement layoffs in a “fair” way.
At issue in New York and other states is the policy of LIFO, “last in, first out”. Seniority is the determining factor. There are calls from ...
This week’s articles of note
“Are America’s best days behind us?” Time, by Fareed Zakaria
“Are Americans ready for democracy?” Big Think, by Firouz Folani
“How Rumsfeld misleads and ducks responsibility in his new book,” Foreign Policy, by Bob Woodward
“Broke town, USA,” The New York Times Magazine, by Roger Lowenstein
“Twitter was Act ...
Are state pensions in crisis?
Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin and other Republicans have said that the cost of pensions to state employees is unaffordable, and a central reason why collective bargaining needs to be virtually eliminated.
However, as I noted in my article on Wisconsin, it is understandable why the pensions appear under-funded today:
This situation ...
Republicans make Wisconsin their battle ground
My op-ed on Wisconsin has been published in The Australian, the country’s biggest-selling national newspaper. You can read it here.
European banks “in far greater danger than people realize”
The Eurozone economic crisis has been relatively quiet for some time, taking a back seat to other world events. But, in an interview in Der Spiegel, US economist Barry Eichengreen reminds us that all is still not well:
The present bailout attempts have never made sense. Essentially, all Germany and ...
ABOUT SEAN COLLINS
I write about American current affairs for Spiked, the online magazine. I am a native New Yorker, and I divide my time between New York City and upstate New York.
In addition to articles for Spiked, The Australian and other publications, I contributed an essay, "BDS: Demonizing Israel, Destroying Free Speech," for the book Unsafe Space: The Crisis of Free Speech on Campus (2016). I also wrote a chapter on New York City's economy for the book London After Recession: A Fictitious Capital? (2012).
My writings have been cited in American Conservative, Arts & Letters Daily, the Financial Times, Fox News, the Huffington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, the New York Times, Real Clear Politics, and the Times of London, among other media.
For more about The American Situation site, go here.
