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Economy

Where's the Real Financial Reform?

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The new credit card rules will make it difficult for banks and credit card processors to be tricksters, which is my word for their erratic and arbitrary fees and penalties.
But despite the hostile opinions reported in the popular media, banks continue to have their way in financial matters.
Take the student loan program, where Congress decides [...]

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How to Cut the Federal Deficit

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I clipped a news article way back on August 11, 2005 when the Associated Press reported President Bush's comments on a new transportation-spending bill.
According to the article, "President Bush calls the massive $286.4 billion transportation spending bill he signed into law Wednesday a job creator."
The article goes on to describe the bill that will pay [...]

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Not All Jobs Are Created Equal

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Is employment looking up? In Newsweek, Daniel Gross says that "Jobs Are on the Way!," noting that even though employment is still off 11,000 jobs, the all-important service sector has added 58,000 jobs.
He cites the 0.2% drop in the unemployment rate and a few other markers of improvement, concluding America's job market is turning around.
But, [...]

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Ask the Readers: Now, is the Economy Back on Track?

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In late August, we asked you if you thought the economy was back on track.
Overwhelmingly, you thought that it was leveling off, but not yet back on track. And 30% said that it was still getting worse, including Phil, who posted this comment:
Absolutely getting worse. Spending for the sake of spending does not increase $ [...]

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Should the Estate Tax Be Permanently Eliminated?

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The Estate tax, a tax on the value of assets at death before ownership is transferred to heirs, has been subject to many pressures and changes over the years.
Up until 1981, estate tax rates up to 70 percent were applied to the entire value of an estate with only a $50,000 exemption.
Since the early 1980s, [...]

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How National Health Care Will Improve Your Salary

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The latest turn in the health care debate drops the public option but would extend Medicare eligibility downward to begin at 55 years old.
Since the words "public option" bring automatic opposition, health care reform supporters in Congress apparently decided to address the politics with some new words even though Medicare is already a public option.
The [...]

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We Can't Buy Our Way Out of a Recession

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Black Friday is over. This year, there were many news stories of hope and optimism that consumers would rush out and buy, buy, buy.
The broadcast news stations sent their local correspondents to talk with mall owners and department store managers to get their forecast. The ones I saw used their interviews to plug discounts, their [...]

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