Feature

Best Business Commentary

Praise for Bush's mortgage bailout. How Barbie's butt relates to globalization.

In praise of the Bush bailout

President Bush’s plan to counter the subprime mortgage crisis is actually quite good, says Kevin Hassett in Bloomberg. In fact, it’s the White House’s “first big economic-policy winner in a long, long time.” The plan will “deftly” provide “welcome relief to the housing market with minimal intrusion,” helping the “misinformed” low-income homeowner refinance while avoiding rewarding the real estate speculator. “Refinancing will do little for the investors who should rightly lose their money.” And importantly, Bush avoids the “temptation to be heavy handed,” which can “easily make things far worse down the road.”

Global Barbie

You could do a study on globalization by looking a Barbie’s rear end, says Jennifer Tang in the Los Angeles Times. Starting with Japan in the 60s, a series of Asian nations have followed “Made in . . .” on the doll’s posterior. “To see a developing nation disappear from Barbie’s rump is a reliable indicator that it is no longer ‘behind.’” So while nowadays, “Barbie is, like millions of other goods, ‘Made in China,’” that may not last forever either. With China booming and the U.S. lagging, the nation that “will appear next on Barbie’s butt” may not be Asian. “Would it be irony to find it saying ‘Made in USA’?”

Recommended

Disney hits back against DeSantis
Entranceway to Walt Disney World.
Feature

Disney hits back against DeSantis

5 ways to make money on TikTok
A young female influencer using her phone and a ring light
Money file

5 ways to make money on TikTok

Polishing your LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn app.
Feature

Polishing your LinkedIn profile

The latest on Netflix's password-sharing crackdown
Netflix logo
Briefing

The latest on Netflix's password-sharing crackdown

Most Popular

Disney hits back against DeSantis
Entranceway to Walt Disney World.
Feature

Disney hits back against DeSantis

Censoring ideas and rewriting history
Copies of banned books from various states and school systems.
Briefing

Censoring ideas and rewriting history

What the shifting religious landscape means for American politics
Ballot box
Talking point

What the shifting religious landscape means for American politics