Economic Commentary

Cornell Professor Wants to End Black Friday Madness by Taxing It

On the lookout for perceived injustices in the marketplace, Cornell University professor Robert Frank decided that Black Friday needed his attention and wrote...

Bob Adelmann November 30, 2011

OWS Black Friday Protest Flops; Group Costs Taxpayers at Least $13 Million So Far

R. Cort Kirkwood November 28, 2011

The ballyhooed Black Friday protest suggested by the leaders at Occupy Wall Street failed, but OWS has succeeded on two counts. ...

“Green” Jobs and Real Jobs

Bob Adelmann November 28, 2011

The Wall Street Journal virtually called the Obama administration’s efforts to create “green” jobs a joke, decrying the President’s efforts to jump-start the...

Latest Economic Surveys Show Little Optimism

Bob Adelmann November 26, 2011

The Republican Small Business Committee reported on November 8 that small-business optimism “remains extremely low,” and that business owners “simply are not hiring...

The Mystery of Thanksgiving Day: of Turkeys and Pencils

Bob Adelmann November 25, 2011

Jeff Jacoby listed some of the reasons he was thankful on Thanksgiving Day in 2003, including the feast on the table, the company...

How Canada Cut Spending and Got a “Payoff Decade”

Bob Adelmann November 23, 2011

From Reuter’s interview with former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien in August came a much fuller understanding of the forces that moved the...

80 is the New 65, Two Surveys Show

Bob Adelmann November 21, 2011

On Wednesday Wells Fargo released the results of its survey of 1,500 individuals between ages 25 and 75, titling it “80 is the...

Economic Outlook: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknowable

Bob Adelmann November 20, 2011

Expressions of joy were muted on Wall Street at Friday's release of the latest report from the Conference Board (CB) showing its Leading...

Options After the Supercommittee Failure

Bob Adelmann November 20, 2011

Barring a miracle, the Supercommittee will announce Monday morning its failure at coming up with legislation to reduce the projected combined federal budget...

National Debt Runs Past $15 Trillion

R. Cort Kirkwood November 18, 2011

It’s official. The U.S. federal debt has crossed another unbelievable line: $15 trillion. The Treasury Department reported the news on Wednesday, and various...

Solyndra Just the Tip of the Iceberg

Bob Adelmann November 14, 2011

In late October White House Chief of Staff William Daley (left) ordered a complete review of all loan guarantees the Department of Energy has...

U.S. Debt Downgrade by Chinese Rating Agency Is “Inevitable”

Bob Adelmann November 14, 2011

A year ago Dagong Global Credit Rating reduced its rating on the sovereign debt of the United States from AA to A+. In...

Keynesians Diss Republican Candidates

Bob Adelmann November 11, 2011

CNN’s article by Charles Riley quoted several of the Republican candidates for President out of context and then asked several unknown Keynesian economists...