The beleaguered New York City Opera, cut to a fraction of its former size and self-exiled from its former home at Lincoln Center, got an 11th-hour reprieve when its unions agreed to a deal that would allow the 2012 season of four operas to go forward.

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At a time when GE shares were going for a small fraction of previous value, Immelt cut the dividend.

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The first and easy cut is simply Federal Interest Outlays as a Fraction of GDP divided by the GDP deflator.

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But for all their ability to cut costs, Chinese manufacturers are earning a fraction of the margin that U.S.-based marketers and retailers collect by selling Chinese-made goods.

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Collusive class settlements allow corporations (when they can find class action lawyers who are willing to play ball with them) to cut off the claims of large numbers of people for a fraction of their real value.

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