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.

WSJ: Prima Donna | La Traviata | New York City Opera Makes a Case for Its Own Demise | Opera Review by Heidi Waleson

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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