With hundreds of years of accumulated data on how economies 'work' available for analysis, how is it possible that it is still unclear (it seems) whether or not - and to what extent - a government should boost an economy that is in a slowdown? [more inside]
posted by woodblock100 on Dec 27, 2009 - 22 answers

Our deficit and our debt are at record levels, even compared to WWII. Then, the debt was financed internally, not by other countries, so the interest we could pay was lower and the money was recycled in the U.S. Now, the debt and deficit are mostly financed by other countries through bond offerings and the like. And as they grow, those debtor countries will want higher interest rates on repayments, which drains money out of the U.S. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind on Oct 5, 2009 - 4 answers

I have the attention span of a gnat. [more inside]
posted by pseudostrabismus on Feb 28, 2009 - 20 answers

Speak to me of deficits. If a country goes into deficit by selling bonds to other countries' foreign banks, is that debt ever used as a geopolitical bargaining chip? Why/why not? [more inside]
posted by [ixia] on Feb 5, 2009 - 11 answers

Keynesian economics calls for running deficits when times are bad and surpluses when times are good so as to smooth out the business cycle. Since the current economic downturn is worldwide, many governments are talking about running deficits so as to stimulate their economies. Here's what I'm wondering: who's going to be lending to all these would-be borrowers? [more inside]
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow on Nov 28, 2008 - 8 answers

I seem to remember reading about a study which showed a correlation between higher taxes and lower spending, can you help me find it? [more inside]
posted by Reverend John on Oct 3, 2008 - 6 answers

I'm kind of interested in learning to play chess. I have ADD. How's that gonna go? [more inside]
posted by 2or3whiskeysodas on Apr 19, 2008 - 11 answers

I have ADD. What are some specific steps that can help me focus on getting a task done? [more inside]
posted by fogster on Jan 26, 2008 - 16 answers

Can the hive recommend books on the global economy? I'm pretty clueless so I'm looking for stuff that's easy to read, a la The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. [more inside]
posted by mooza on Nov 26, 2007 - 17 answers

My 6 Year Old has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. We are not going to drug him. How can I help him? [more inside]
posted by greedo on Jan 16, 2007 - 63 answers

There have been numerous articles lately that the US dollar will lose its value a big time pretty soon, given the fact of our huge trade deficit and over spending. check this article If the US dollar will be on sale soon, I'm wondering if I should still contribute $ to my 401K for retirement. I'm no where near retirement age. But what's the point of saving for retirement, while the value of the saving is going down, faster than inflation? What would you do otherwise for your retirement?
posted by dy on May 9, 2006 - 19 answers

This may seem profoundly easy to some of you, but I'm perplexed. [more inside]
posted by heartquake on Feb 6, 2006 - 20 answers

Surviving the Depression Years: what strategies worked during the last depression? Would they work with the next depression? What adaptations would be required? Are there new avenues for successfully surviving a depression? [more inside]
posted by five fresh fish on Sep 25, 2005 - 14 answers

I've got a kid 'round here recently diagnosed as very likely ADD. What now? [more inside]
posted by five fresh fish on Mar 15, 2005 - 22 answers

I've just been diagnosed with Adult ADHD. (No, this isn't the person who inquired earlier, although it inspired me to get it checked.) I'm going to be getting therapy to get better, but I wanted to know how you would view a person who admitted he had ADHD to you? It's apparent to me now that I've messed up a lot of things in my life because of it (Failing out of college, frequent job changes, crappy social life). I want to be able to say, "Hey, I messed up because of this, but I'm changing for the better." If you were an employer or even a guy/girl I was asking out, would you accept this as an excuse for my prior mistakes? Should I even mention it at all?
posted by anonymous on Dec 8, 2004 - 24 answers