this is an adventure

“High-ranking government officials are usually protected from claims that they violated a person’s civil rights. In lawsuits stemming from law enforcement and intelligence efforts after the Sept. 11 attacks, three federal courts have left open the possibility that former AG John Ashcroft and a lieutenant [John Yoo] may be held personally liable.”

“Is it moral for rich countries to use such a high proportion of the world’s resources or for investment bankers to earn large bonuses? And is it moral for financial markets to experiment with volatile derivatives that increase the potential for panics?” Nobel laureate Edmund Phelps answers some difficult questions in interesting ways.

Samuelson: “What’s driving the great health debate of 2009 is not a popular clamor for universal insurance… A new Wall Street Journal poll found 41 percent of respondents opposed to President Obama’s proposals and 39 percent in favor (the rest were undecided). The underlying driver is politicians’ psychological quest for glory.”

Simon Johnson reacts: “Instead, the US should use its power as the leading potential place for productive investments to make this point: If you want to play in the US market, you need a lot of capital. If you would rather move your reckless high risk activities overseas, that is fine.”