Links for 02-20-2013

• Snark That Writes Itself - Paul Krugman
• A Fed Official Calls for New Power - Economix
• FTC Gets Muscle in Policing Mergers - WSJ
• Privately Run Medicare Plans are Really Expensive - Kevin Drum
• Forecasters keep thinking recovery is just around the corner - Neil Irwin
• Conflicts of Interest and Scientific Discovery - Environ and Urban
• Reactions to the New Simpson-Bowles Plan - Jared Bernstein
• Economic Optimism vs. the Sequester - Rational Irrationality
• Obama Turns Up Pressure for Deal on Budget Cuts - NYT
• How Capitalism Creates The Welfare State - The Daily Dish
• A Cheerful Welcome To The Robots - Scott Winship
• Beijing's Steady Progress Toward Rebalancing - Brookings
• Stones Keep Raining - Gloomy European Economist
• Who Pays the Corporate Income Tax - Economix
• Don’t Take Nocera for an Answer - EconoSpeak
• Social Welfare Programs and Incentives to Work - Tim Taylor
• Some Environmental Issues Surrounding Keystone XL - Econbrowser
• Macroeconomic Advisers on the Sequester's Impact - Econbrowser