Economic Commentary
Still Waiting for the Recovery
The economy has gained either 2.5 million jobs or 3.6 million jobs since the Recovery Act was signed into law in January, 2009,...
Small Banks Struggle Despite Bailout Funds
The Treasury Department’s Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) is wreaking havoc on hundreds of small banks that took bailout money, according to a...
Read moreFinancial Reform Bill on Brink of Passage
The final version of the financial reform bill that has become a central component of President Obama’s New Deal-esque program to enormously enlarge...
Read moreForeclosures Hit Rich and Poor
The rich as well as the poor are losing their homes to foreclosures. That fact helps demonstrate the vast silliness of the federal...
Read moreUnskilled Workers and Public Education
The New York Times reports that many factories are ready to hire workers, but that applicants for jobs lack the skills in math...
Read moreCongress Considers Extending Unemployment Benefits — Again
One ironclad rule of government programs is “if you subsidize something, you will get more of it.” Thus, paying poor, unmarried women to...
Read moreHeaded for Recovery … or the “Cliff-edge Around the Corner”?
After a meeting with his economic team and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on June 29, President Obama announced "the economy is strengthening"...
Read moreJobs: Too Many Riding, Too Few Pulling
The one thing that economists seem to agree on is that any economic recovery will be an uphill battle for some time to...
Read morePoll Shows Americans More Concerned About Jobs Than Oil Spill
The results of a Gallup poll taken from June 11 through 13 and released on June 17 indicated that more Americans rate the...
Read moreNational Debt at Tipping Point?
The Wall Street Journal took another look at the $13 trillion national debt written about here last week and announced that, according to...
Read moreJobs? What Jobs?
When CNBC announced that the number of workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week while private employers added new jobs...
Read moreTime to Audit the Fed
The timing of the sellout by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) could not have been more politically auspicious — or more suspicious. For months...
Read morePaving the Way for Future Bailouts
Item: The April 22 Washington Post reported that President Obama was making an “assertive stride into the debate on financial regulatory reform.” The...
Read moreShock and Awe, Obama-Style
“Shock and awe” is how the Pentagon described the opening stages of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq: overwhelming force designed to demoralize...
Read moreAuditing the Fed: the Great Sellout
Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had long worked together on their campaign for a full audit of the Federal...
Read more