“I know that when I look at today’s Mexicans and Central Americans, they seem to me fundamentally the same as my grandparents seeking a better life in America. On the other side, however, open immigration can’t coexist with a strong social safety net; if you’re going to assure health care and a decent income to everyone, you can’t make that offer global. So Democrats have mixed feelings about immigration; in fact, it’s an agonizing issue.” IfsKnowsLooksFactsFeelingsSeemsCareTodayAmericaStrongSocialSidesIssuesOffersSafetyDemocratSeekingImmigrationIncomeHealth CareDecentGrandparentBetter LifeCoexistSafety NetAgonizingMixed Feelings Author:Paul Krugman
“If we discovered that, you know, space aliens were planning to attack and we needed a massive buildup to counter the space alien threat and really inflation and budget deficits took secondary place to that, this slump would be over in 18 months. ... There was a Twilight Zone episode like this in which scientists fake an alien threat in order to achieve world peace. Well, this time, we don't need it, we need it in order to get some fiscal stimulus.” IfsKnowsWorldNeedsWellsWould BeOrderSpaceAchieveMonthsNeededScientistThreatPlanningAliensBudgetsFakeZoneMassiveTwilightEpisodesInflationDeficitStimulusTwilight ZoneSlumpsBudget DeficitSpace Aliens Author:Paul Krugman
“It's a funny thing, by the way, how people who love free markets are also quite sure that they know that investors are being irrational.” PeopleKnowsWayInvestorsIrrationalFree MarketFunny Things Author:Paul Krugman
“We should try to create the society each of us would want if we didn't know in advance who we'd be.” IfsKnowsWantShouldTrying Author:Paul Krugman
“What happened after 9/11 - and I think even people on the right know this, whether they admit it or not - was deeply shameful. The atrocity should have been a unifying event, but instead it became a wedge issue. Fake heroes like Bernie Kerik, Rudy Giuliani, and, yes, George W. Bush raced to cash in on the horror. And then the attack was used to justify an unrelated war the neocons wanted to fight, for all the wrong reasons....The memory of 9/11 has been irrevocably poisoned; it has become an occasion for shame. And in its heart, the nation knows it.” PeopleThinkingKnowsShouldHeartHas BeensWarReasonWantedUsedFightingNationsMemoriesIssuesHappenedEventsHeroHorrorShould HaveShameOccasionsFakeJustifyCashShould Have BeenShamefulAtrocitiesUnifyingWrong ReasonsWedgesRudy Author:Paul Krugman
“Every once in a while I feel despair over the fate of the planet. If you’ve been following climate science, you know what I mean: the sense that we’re hurtling toward catastrophe but nobody wants to hear about it or do anything to avert it.” IfsKnowsWantFeelsMeanEnergyEnvironmentFatePlanetsDespairClimateClimate ChangeFollowingCatastropheAvert Author:Paul Krugman
“We know that advanced economies with stable governments that borrow in their own currency are capable of running up very high levels of debt without crisis.” KnowsGovernmentRunningLevelsEconomyCapableEconomicsCrisisDebtStableCurrencyHigh Level Author:Paul Krugman
“The problem isn't that people don't understand how good things are. It's that they know, from personal experience, that things really aren't that good.” PeopleKnowsProblemEconomicsGood ThingsPersonal Experiences Author:Paul Krugman
“You know that Republicans will yell about the evils of partisanship whenever anyone tries to make a connection between the rhetoric of Beck, Limbaugh, etc. and the violence I fear we’re going to see in the months and years ahead. But violent acts are what happen when you create a climate of hate. And it’s long past time for the GOP’s leaders to take a stand against the hate-mongers.” KnowsTryingYearsLongHappensPastHateEvilLeaderViolenceMonthsRepublicanConnectionsClimateViolentEtcRhetoricGopPartisanshipViolent Acts Author:Paul Krugman
“So, very early reports are that Obamacare exchanges are, as expected, having some technical glitches on the first day - maybe even a bit worse than expected, because it appears that volume has been much bigger than predicted. Here’s what you need to know: this is good, not bad, news for the program... Lots of people logging on and signing up on the very first day... is an early indication that it’s going to be fine, that plenty of people will sign up for the first year of health reform.” PeopleKnowsNeedsYearsFirstsHas BeensBitsFineNewsProgramBiggerExpectedPlentyReformReportsVolumeObamacareIndicationBad NewsSigningLoggingGlitchesSigning UpHealth Reform Author:Paul Krugman
“It’s not about the budget; it’s about the power...So will the attack on unions succeed? I don’t know. But anyone who cares about retaining government of the people by the people should hope that it doesn’t.” PeopleKnowsShouldGovernmentCareSucceedUnionsBudgetsWho CaresRetaining Author:Paul Krugman
“Are you, or is someone you know, a gadget freak? If so, you doubtless know that Wednesday was iPhone 5 day, the day Apple unveiled its latest way for people to avoid actually speaking to or even looking at whoever they're with.” PeopleIfsKnowsWayFunnyTechnologyApplesFreakIphoneGadgetsWednesdayIphone 5 Author:Paul Krugman
