If economic sages were judged the same way major league baseball hitters are, Alan Greenspan hitting .333 would deserve the attention he garners. In recent months the former Federal Reserve Board Chairman struck out badly twice on what in economic terms could be considered batting-practice fastballs. But in today’s at-bat, …
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Douglas Elmendorf recently testified before the Senate Budget Committee on policies that might give the economy a helpful lift in the near term. Congress is right to be concerned. But for an inventory surge last winter, the economy remains stuck in low gear at about …
As Members of Congress limp out of Washington to face their constituents, it’s worth reviewing their accomplishments—or lack thereof. The most basic function of Congress is to manage the public purse. The most basic step in managing finances—whether of a family, a business, a state, or a nation—is to pass …
The recent global financial panic and recession had many authors. Millions of individuals and businesses made bad decisions about investing and debt. Scores of big shots like Dick Fuld, former CEO of now defunct Lehman Brothers, gambled big and lost bigger. And then there were those few who were in …
Tax-hike advocates have erected yet another straw man to protect their high-tax policy, now arguing that little economic harm would be done if Congress and the president were to raise taxes on higher earners because these high-tax sufferers would have saved the money anyway. Yet the issue is not saving …
Today’s New York Times editorial on President Obama’s Cleveland political diatribe-cum-economic speech got one point right — Obama “took too long to engage this debate.” The rest of the editorial was little more than an epilogue to Obama’s political speech. One can see why the Times would avoid talking about the economic …
The latest jobs report showed the unemployment rate ticking up to 9.6 percent, putting the final nail in the coffin of recovery summer. The Obama Administration announced “Recovery Summer” last June to highlight the expected gains in jobs and economic strength resulting from Obama’s stimulus. Not. The economy is literally …
