Diane Lim R.

Followers
7 Blog Followers
Following:
Following Blogs: 0

Latest Activity

So You Want to Reduce the Budget Deficit?

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Nov 9, 2009, 9:58 pm
Have you ever thought you could be WAY more fiscally responsible than our politicians are?  Go ahead and test yourself on the Concord Coalition’s new online version of our “Principles and...
Comment - Like

Why Won't the President Just Create the Jobs?

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Nov 8, 2009, 10:09 pm
The Washington Post’s Alec MacGillis asks a rather provocative question in today’s Outlook section: “Why won’t Obama give you a job?” The article challenges the Administ...
Comment - Like

And Speaking of Honesty…

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Nov 7, 2009, 8:25 pm
In his Forbes column this week, Bruce Bartlett explains how to set up a deficit-reduction commission who can speak the real truth and thus come up with real solutions.  Bruce’s key recommendati...
Comment - Like

Just (Billy Joel and) Me, Talking About "Honesty"

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Nov 6, 2009, 10:56 pm
I think this is one of the coolest radio interviews I’ve done (click here for the link to the podcast)–not because of anything new I said that I haven’t said a million times before, ...
Comment - Like

How to Talk Oneself Out of Keeping a Promise in Order to Do the Right Thing

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Nov 5, 2009, 10:24 pm
President Obama’s budget director, Peter Orszag, gave a really nice speech on the economy and fiscal policy this week.  It reinforces my belief that: (1) Peter really doesn’t view the ...
Comment - Like

How the Homebuyer Tax Credit "Works" a Lot Like Cash for Clunkers

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Nov 4, 2009, 9:55 pm
The news tonight (to appear in Thursday’s Washington Post): The Senate voted Wednesday to renew the government’s $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers through the first six months ...
Comment - Like

Why Economists Have Such a Hard Time Sharing Their True Feelings

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Nov 3, 2009, 1:41 pm
Because it usually doesn’t work out so well, as illustrated in this NPR Marketplace video (part of their new “Department of Behavioral Economics”) featuring Marketplace senior editor...
Comment - Like

Wait a Minute–We're Paying for Health Reform with Another AMT?

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Nov 2, 2009, 9:06 pm
It took me awhile to catch onto this (I guess real life got in the way of reading the legislation or even the revenue estimate carefully), but the House health care reform bill not only fails to provi...
Comment - Like

Congrats to the World on Having Fewer Kids

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Nov 1, 2009, 9:55 pm
This week’s Economist magazine has a fascinating cover story on the world’s declining fertility rate and what it means for economic growth and the sustainability of the planet more general...
Comment - Like

Three Good (and Not So Hard) Reads on Health Reform

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 31, 2009, 1:08 am
My boss, Bob Bixby, wrote up his initial thoughts on the House health reform bill in his usual “prime time” last night–around 3 am.  (And I am finally posting on this after a midnig...
Comment - Like

And We're Growing Again!

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 29, 2009, 3:56 pm
The Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that our economy might be growing again–for the first time since the second quarter of 2008–and hence that we might be out of this recession...
Comment - Like

Ezra In the FOOD Section!

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 28, 2009, 11:32 pm
Wednesday’s Washington Post featured an Ezra Klein column in the FOOD section of the paper (right next to a story on bouillon, no less)!  I love it, because it’s still mostly about budget...
Comment - Like

Dusting Off My "Death Tax" Stuff

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 27, 2009, 10:55 pm
First we heard that estate tax legislation would be considered as early as next week in the House, but tonight Majority Leader Hoyer suggested it could be put off until the very last minute:  up to s...
Comment - Like

Finding the Path to Reduced Deficits

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 26, 2009, 10:55 pm
Today the Chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, Christina Romer, delivered these remarks at the Center for American Progress.  (Full text of speech is here.)  Based on the sel...
Comment - Like

SNL on Obsessive Cost Cutting (Russian Bride Edition)

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 25, 2009, 10:56 pm
I didn’t realize that this weekend’s Saturday Night Live was a repeat (of a fairly recent show) until I went looking for the video of this sketch on Russian brides.  Somehow it reminded m...
Comment - Like

Denver Download

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 23, 2009, 10:57 pm
I’m back in DC after a great trip to Denver with many of my Concord Coalition colleagues.  It’s work trips like that that make me feel so fortunate to have a job that I love so much that ...
Comment - Like

Why the $1.4 Trillion Deficit Is Still a Worry

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 23, 2009, 9:05 am
I’ll write my report on Denver later tonight (am still here in Denver until this afternoon), but I’ve at least got time to mention that at yesterday’s all-day/evening events here, my...
Comment - Like

The "Doc Fix" and Its Budget Gimmickry Is Not a Clever New Democratic Idea

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 21, 2009, 7:14 pm
An editorial in today’s Wall Street Journal suggests that the Obama Administration and the Democrats in Congress have come up with a new and clever way to deceive the American public about the c...
Comment - Like

Heading Out to Denver

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 20, 2009, 10:59 pm
I’m on the road for the next few days, traveling to Denver to participate in a Concord-sponsored student summit on fiscal responsibility, “Paying for America,” on Thursday at the Uni...
Comment - Like

Why the "Doc Fix" Doesn't Fix Health Care

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 19, 2009, 9:31 pm
As we explained in a Concord Coalition press release today: The Senate is expected to consider a bill this week that would permanently increase physician reimbursement rates relative to the current M...
Comment - Like

On Pandering to Seniors Over Pandering to Other Groups

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 18, 2009, 7:39 am
I’ve got a contribution to the “Topic A” opinion feature in today’s Washington Post; the question: Should Congress fulfill President Obama’s request for a one-time $250 p...
Comment - Like

Record Deficit May Dash Obama's Big Plans…Unless He Dashes Bush's Big Plans First?

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 17, 2009, 2:22 pm
Today’s headline in the Washington Post:  “Record-High Deficit May Dash Big Plans”–refers primarily to President Obama’s “big plans” for further deficit-fina...
Comment - Like

Two Illustrations of How Bad We Are at Fiscal Responsibility

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 15, 2009, 8:03 am
Exhibit A:  Congress and the Administration Call for a $250 Payment to Seniors…for What?!! Well, for non-inflation and hence the non-COLA they are getting in their Social Security payments in ...
Comment - Like

Spam Comments Problem Again - All Comments Will Be Moderated

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 15, 2009, 6:02 am
STILL NOT WORKING THURS. 10/15… My spam blocker isn’t working right again (Wed. 10/14), so all comments will be queued up for moderation again until I figure out it’s back to normal...
Comment - Like

Go, Brucie!

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 13, 2009, 10:58 pm
Bruce Bartlett did a nice job arguing against stuck-in-the-70s Larry Kudlow on CNBC today, in discussing his new book, The New American Economy. (Bruce blogged about the book’s “RIP Suppl...
Comment - Like

What Makes for a Tough Choice

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 12, 2009, 11:41 pm
Last Wednesday at the World Business Forum (where I was a “featured blogger” and where I “tweeted” for the first time) President Bill Clinton was asked during his post-speech c...
Comment - Like

Not Just Smoke and Mirrors

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 11, 2009, 11:38 am
Saturday’s Washington Post contained this editorial on the false notion that Congress has come up with any plan for health care reform that is truly deficit neutral.  The basic charge:  neithe...
Comment - Like

How True Fiscal Conservatives Talk About Tax Policy

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 8, 2009, 11:32 pm
Bruce Bartlett’s new book, The New American Economy: The Failure of Reaganomics and a New Way Forward, comes out next week.  The New York Times’ David Leonhardt wrote a really nice story ...
Comment - Like

Sorry, Congress. There's (Still) No Way to Raise Revenue Without Taxing (Real) People.

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 7, 2009, 9:22 am
Well, it took a couple months, but those with a stake in health care reform have finally figured out that the idea of an excise tax on insurance companies instead of an any alternative tax on “r...
Comment - Like

How Government Has Been Deviating from Good Business Practices

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 7, 2009, 12:29 am
Today (Tuesday) was a real eye-opener for me in terms of seeing all the ways in which the way the federal government conducts its business are totally divorced from the ideas for “good business ...
Comment - Like

Five Dysfunctions of the "Government Team" As Well

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 6, 2009, 4:57 pm
I’m hearing a lot of fascinating perspectives here at the World Business Forum.  Filmmaker George Lucas is speaking now, but I admit I’m not much of a Star Wars fan, so I wanted to make c...
Comment - Like

Hanging With the Bloggers This Week

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 4, 2009, 10:13 pm
www.hsmglobal.com I’ll be in NYC this week as one of the featured bloggers at the World Business Forum, where I’m excited to hear speeches from Bill Clinton, Paul Krugman, Jeff Sachs, and...
Comment - Like

How to Deal With the Deficit Through Progressive Tax Policy

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 2, 2009, 10:55 pm
I wanted to continue my discussion of Wednesday’s Center for American Progress/Center on Budget and Policy Priorities conference on “Progressives and the National Debt” with a recap ...
Comment - Like

Assume a Great Big, Gigantic Can Opener

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Oct 1, 2009, 2:44 pm
Yesterday’s conference on “Progressives and the National Debt” was really interesting.  The biggest crowd-drawer seemed to be the session with Nobel-laureate economist Paul Krugman,...
Comment - Like

The Progressive Case for Deficit Reduction

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 29, 2009, 11:05 pm
…or not… I’ll hear about it either way today (Wednesday) at an event here in DC called “Progressives and the National Debt” hosted by the Center for American Progress and...
Comment - Like

The Candor of Korean Women

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 28, 2009, 6:43 pm
I love, love, love the story on DC public schools chancellor Michelle Rhee in this weekend’s Washington Post Magazine.  The “On Leadership” video interview of her by the Post’...
Comment - Like

The Republicans' Irrational Mantra on Taxes

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 26, 2009, 10:55 pm
If you read Bruce Bartlett’s column in Forbes this week, you might think I’ve been passing notes to him under the desks at school.  Bruce explains how the Republicans are just downright s...
Comment - Like

A (Short) List of Courageous Democrats

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 24, 2009, 10:55 pm
Today the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill to prevent Medicare premiums from rising.  A Congress Daily story explains: House Democrats pushed through the bill to ensure that the...
Comment - Like

I Don't Care What You Call It, Just Do It

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 23, 2009, 8:53 pm
I’m in Charlottesville, VA tonight having combined a business trip with a campus visit for my oldest daughter, who’s a senior in high school. I’m happy to report (being the Virginia...
Comment - Like

This Ain't Gonna Be Pretty

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 22, 2009, 4:45 pm
The Baucus proposal for health care reform is about to get “modified” in the Senate.  Some politicians would claim “improved”–because they’ll get more of what they...
Comment - Like

In a Recession, It's Not Only the Flow of Money That Slows

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 21, 2009, 10:40 pm
According to an AP story by Hope Yen, a new Census Department survey (the “American Community Survey”) suggests that a common symptom of this recession is that people are feeling stuckR...
Comment - Like

It's Hard to Do Cost-Benefit Analysis When the Benefits Aren't Quantified

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 20, 2009, 8:03 am
Last Thursday, the Congressional Budget Office released a report on “The Economic Effects of Legislation to Reduce Greenhouse-Gas Emissions.” The report attempts to quantify the economic c...
Comment - Like

How the Baucus Proposal Reminds Me of the Bush Tax Cuts

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 17, 2009, 10:55 pm
I’m too sleep-deprived to do a careful analysis of the Baucus plan tonight, but as I was reading over the CBO analysis of the proposal, a familiar feeling came over me.  I realized the Senate F...
Comment - Like

Comments Will Have to "Queue Up" Today–Sorry

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 16, 2009, 10:28 am
(***UPDATE Friday: My spam blocker is showing a little more life now, so I’m cautiously going to open up unmoderated comments today and just keep checking often. Keeping fingers crossed.) I...
Comment - Like

Allan Sloan on Social Security

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 16, 2009, 12:23 am
I’m on the road again, in Chicago for a couple days, so I thought I’d do an easy post tonight by highlighting Allan Sloan’s very informative column on Social Security in Tuesday̵...
Comment - Like

EconomistMom: A Glimpse of the Video Version

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 14, 2009, 9:53 pm
Today I gave a 90-minute talk (well 20-some minutes “presentation” followed by an hour of Q and A) to a group of 20 journalists here for a conference at the University of Maryland’s ...
Comment - Like

What Exactly Are They Protesting?

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 13, 2009, 9:54 pm
On Saturday the “Tea Party” movement’s “Taxpayer March on Washington” was held.  According to the Washington Post (emphasis added): Saturday’s throng appeared to ...
Comment - Like

The (Virtual) Fiscal Wake-Up Tour on Health Care Reform

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 12, 2009, 12:13 am
At the Concord Coalition we’re trying to spread our word more efficiently lately using video technology. Here’s an example–this set of video clips of the “first string” ...
Comment - Like

Courage or Cunning?

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 10, 2009, 12:21 am
Embedded video from <a href=”http://www.cnn.com/video” mce_href=”http://www.cnn.com/video”>CNN Video&a...
Comment - Like

What We Need to Hear Tonight

Diane Lim R. posted an article on - Sep 9, 2009, 1:18 pm
Notice I didn’t say “what we want to hear tonight.”  But what we really need to hear is a little honest talk, from our courageous leader.  Talk like… this (from a CNN-Money ...
Comment - Like

Diane Lim R.'s Blogs:

Diane Lim R.'s Followers

Diane Lim R. is Following

Invite Your Friends

Invite your contacts to blogged from:
gmail yahoo