Topic: Herbert Hoover

Secondary deflation and the wisdom of Fed intervention

There's a strong case to be made for battling secondary deflation – the fall in prices that can occur when people try to liquidate too much debt.

Corrections and amplifications: On Andrew Mellon, Sebastian Mallaby, and General Motors

Robert Reich responds to critiques of his columns and his latest book, Aftershock.

Republican 'tough love' economics: Social Darwinism for the 21st century

Like Herbert Hoover's treasury secretary, House Minority Leader John Boehner thinks tough-love spending cuts will end the recession. It didn't work in 1929 and it won't work today. What it will do is hurt the poorest even more.

August recap: misguided gratitude for government stimulus

Government economists claim the economy would be worse without their stimulus package. We'll never know.

A one-and-a-half dip recession?

The only economic indicators not down are inventories and defaults on loans. Is the President and Congress doing enough to promote growth?

Opinion: LeBron James: Where's the outrage about his salary?

At a time when 15 million Americans have no job at all, we should be indignant about pro athletes like LeBron James earning more than $15 million a year.

G20 meddlers at it again

The message emphasized throughout the G20 Summit was to cut government deficits in half by 2013 and stabilize the ratio of dept to GDP by 2016. But at the rate we're going, is it possible?

G20: Paving the way for a new Great Depression?

At the G20 summit in Toronto, world leaders agreed to halve deficits in three years. At least one prominent economist says spending, not cuts, is what's needed.

Government spending and the façade of a successful economy

May's dismal consumer spending numbers could be an early sign that the government's stimulus funding has been unsuccessful in boosting the economy.

iPad sales soar, along with unemployment numbers. What kind of a recession is this?

Despite the protracted recession, a $400 iPad is purchased every three seconds in America.

New health care bill: Biggest change since Medicare?

Herbert Hoover was no deficit-cutter

Hoover is often blamed for deepening the Depression by cutting the federal deficit. He didn't. He expanded the deficit.

Recession slang: 10 new terms for a new economy

The recession may be over, but the new slang it spawned just might be here to stay. Here are our Top 10 picks.

Obama vs. his enemies

Does President Obama still think he can charm his opponents? To save his presidency, he must take them on.

When teleprompters go rogue

Teleprompters are an indispensable part of political life. But they can occasionally fail, leaving everyone from President Obama to Sarah Palin to fend for themselves.

Opinion: Palin's populist book tour won't help GOP

Instead of going rogue, Republicans should cultivate leadership in ideas and solutions.

Just one president has a sport named after him

Obama plays golf and basketball, and a lot of former presidents have played sports. But none has achieved the naming rights of this 1930s chief executive.

Opinion: Oh, give me a home without a subsidized loan

The government should no more meddle in your decision to buy a home than it should interfere with your decision to buy a car.

Snapshot of US political parties since 1900

How the balance of power has shifted between the Republicans and Democrats.

Dow's spring rally: Is it real (or like 1931)?

No rain stops play in baseball 'showers'

The Monitor's language columnist is batting a thousand on her baseball terminology.

10 ways the new economy will look different

From the rise of the tightwad to the decline of the Sun Belt, American values and industries will be reinvented as the nation comes out of the worst recession since the 1930s.

Shhhh... Joe Biden ditches work for baseball game in Baltimore