Weekend Economists Wild, Wild, World Roundup February 17-19, 2012

[bread_and_roses]

68. are our Limosine Liberals getting scared of the simmering hoi polloi?

Pondering two articles - one posted here by Demeter and one by me -

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/opinion/dont-tax-the-rich-tax-inequality-itself.html?_r=2

http://www.alternet.org/economy/154192/it%27s_time_we_get_to_cash_in_as_equity_owners_of_our_common_wealth/?page=entire

and my own take on them - which is that they are a plea to make things just a wee bit better for the 99% while leaving TPTB pretty much where they are - I begin to wonder: are those of our "friends" who fit Chris Hedges descriptions of the "Liberals" who've worked to keep things tolerable - and their own cushy digs in the ranks of the "loyal opposition" safe and secure - finally beginning to get nervous? Have Wisconsin and "Occupy" given them hints that the devil's bargain they've worked for is getting frayed, mouldy - whatever happens to parchment that is used too hard and too long by too many grubby hands? Do they begin to worry that it could come to FRSP? Or (probably more likely) to a rise of Fascism?

It just strikes me that these are very peculiar articles indeed.