Despite a recent spate of good economic data, including last week’s jobs report, the U.S. economy remains deeply depressed. Don’t take my word for it. That’s how Paul Krugman, leftist econo-pundit extraordinaire, describes the economy. In a recent column in The New York Times, he wrote, “our economy remains deeply depressed.” As Krugman pointed out, given an honest appraisal, one finds that “every silver lining comes with a cloud.” And thus it is with the recent good data, which while decidedly good and will hopefully persist, nevertheless cannot disguise the …
Americans remain convinced of Washington’s culpability in the economic crisis from which the country is still struggling to recover, according to a pair of new polls. The ongoing “Occupy” protests notwithstanding, Americans are more likely to blame the federal government than the financial sector for the country’s economic woes. According to a poll conducted by The Hill, 56 percent of likely voters believe Washington is “more to blame” for the economic crisis. Only 33 percent said Wall Street shoulders most of the culpability. That poll phrased the question as an …
Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe The Great $16 Muffin Myth – Kevin Drum, Mother Jones Global Meltdown: Investors Are Dumping Nearly Everything – Patti Domm, CNBC US walks out as Iran delivers anti-US speech – Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press Boehner: ‘There’s no threat of a government shutdown’ – Nicholas Ballasy, The Daily Caller Bill Clinton: Obama’s Approach to the Deficit is ‘A Little Confusing’ – Real Clear Politics Census: Recession takes big toll on …
News on Thursday that there were more new jobless claims last week than initially expected gives new weight to the words of a pair of business leaders who recently singled out President Obama and his big-government approach to economic policy as key impediments to economic recovery. Stephen Wynn, CEO of the Las Vegas-based casino company Wynn Resorts, lit into Obama’s policies during a company conference call on Monday. The Obama administration has been “the greatest wet blanket to business and progress and job creation in my lifetime,” Wynn insisted, due …
The economy is recovering at an unusually slow pace. Typically, employment grows strongly after a severe recession. Not this time. Unemployment remains stuck above 9 percent more than two years after the recession officially ended. What is going on? Initially, the economy appeared on track for a steady recovery. The economy went from losing 841,000 jobs in January 2009—the recession’s low point—to gaining 229,000 jobs in April 2010. By the spring of 2010, the Administration confidently predicted a “Recovery Summer.” But that spring, Congress also passed President Obama’s health care …
Whom has the recession hurt the most? There is no easy answer to that question—job opportunities have diminished for every ethnic and demographic group. But one of the worst hit groups has attracted little media attention: the youth. Younger Americans overwhelmingly voted for Obama in 2008, but the Obama economy has not treated them well:
It’s not Eminem or Dre, not East Coast or West. It’s economists Hayek and Keynes, and Congress can’t decide who gets it best. They’re battling it out on the mean streets of DC, to see who can fix the economy…. Sometimes, the best way to get a point across is to bust a rhyme, and the floors of Congress are no exception. This week, EconStories.tv released its new video, “Fight of the Century,” featuring economists John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich August Hayek bringing the heat during a congressional hearing.
Raising taxes on successful businesses is one thing we cannot afford to do. Large, successful businesses that create jobs would be hit the hardest, but small businesses would also be hurt by such a tax increase. Although economists disagree on many aspects of economic growth and recession, there is near-unanimity on at least one issue: raising taxes during a recession is a bad idea. It seems clear then, that a jobs-killing tax increase, such as the one planned by President Obama, is a bad idea. Of course, Obama has argued …
With 14.9% unemployment and a massive 800,000 jobs lost in the last decade, times are tough in Michigan. But despite the desperate conditions, some Michiganders have decided to keep collecting government unemployment checks instead of accepting job offers and heading back to work, according to a Detroit News report: In a state with the nation’s highest jobless rate, landscaping companies are finding some job applicants are rejecting work offers so they can continue collecting unemployment benefits. It is unclear whether this trend is affecting other seasonal industries. But the fact …
As oil prices steadily rise, many oil and gas experts fear higher prices could stunt economic recovery, not just in the United States but around the globe. From the Financial Times: This week oil climbed to $87 a barrel, its highest level since October 2008 and prompted concerns that triple-digit crude was once again in the offing. This was after a period of eight months when oil traded between $70 and $80, a narrow band that pleased oil producers without hurting consumers too much. The latest surge seems to have …
