[BITList] Niall Ferguson

[x50type at cox.net]

Hugh

I was quite surprised to see Scotsman niall ferguson on a political talk show here this morning, extolling the virtues of making the rich richer and how the US is going down the plug hole because of Pres Obama – and I thought he was a simple historian!. Appears he has quickly adapted to the system of prostituting himself to the highest bidder – the Republican party!

Is he well known in UK?

Niall Campbell Douglas Ferguson (born 18 April 1964)[1] is a British historian. He is the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University. He is also a Senior Research Fellow of Jesus College, University of Oxford and a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. His speciality is international history, economic history, particularly hyperinflation and the bond markets, and British and American imperialism.[2] 

Turns out he was on the payroll of the last presidential hopeful – John McCain [and who can forget his running mate palin – wink, wink, big toothy smile?]

appears he has some misguided ideas for the US and the economy....

Economic policy
In its 15 August 2005 edition, The New Republic published "The New New Deal", an essay by Ferguson and Laurence J. Kotlikoff, a Professor of Economics at Boston University. The two scholars called for the following changes to the American government's fiscal and income security policies:

  a.. Replacing the personal income tax, corporate income tax, Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax (FICA), estate tax, and gift tax with a 33% Federal Retail Sales Tax (FRST), plus a monthly rebate, amounting to the FRST a household with similar demographics would pay if its income were at the poverty line. See also: FairTax 
  b.. Replacing the Old Age benefits paid under Social Security with a Personal Security System, consisting of private retirement accounts for all citizens, plus a government benefit payable to those whose savings were insufficient to afford a minimum retirement income 
  c.. Replacing Medicare and Medicaid with a Medical Security System that would provide health insurance vouchers to all citizens, the value of which would be determined by one's health 
  d.. Cutting federal discretionary spending by 20%

ct






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