Here are some interesting articles about what is going on in the world of economic policy and related fields:
An interesting nuance in the debate over short selling: Is Treasury Being Hoodwinked By a Small Band of Greedy Investors?
Ayn Rand vs. Karl Marx… in populist trends
Status of spending stimulus money
The crazy scam of Marc Dreier: worse than Madoff? (via Megan McArdle)
CIA says it no longer operates any secret prisons (in related news the Lions are projected to win this year’s Super Bowl and Detroit named one of Americas top 10 most beautiful cities)
The White House redefining “taxes” and unfortunately the rhetoric will probably beat the reality. And very few people are going to care because they can’t/don’t want to see it.
Most banks looking strong under stress tests. The data should be revealed soon, and most are expect to be solvent in one way or another. Noam Scheiber suggests, though, that the stress tests may be used to force banks to sell assets unncessarily: Geithner Tips His Hand With the Stress Tests