Economic Commentary

Financial Overhaul Law Boon to Financial Overlords

A triumphant and triumphalist President Obama signed the financial overhaul bill into law July 21, promising as he did that “the American people...

Charles Scaliger July 21, 2010

Great Depression: Here We Go Again?

Bob Adelmann July 20, 2010

The unremitting flow of negative news about the economy has finally caught the attention of the mainstream media, causing an increasing number of...

Next Banking Crisis Could be Coming Soon

Alex Newman July 15, 2010

Central bankers and analysts are warning of another credit crisis just around the corner as banks start competing with governments to refinance trillions...

Still Waiting for the Recovery

Bob Adelmann July 15, 2010

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

Charles Scaliger July 14, 2010

The Treasury Department’s Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) is wreaking havoc on hundreds of small banks that took bailout money, according to a...

Financial Reform Bill on Brink of Passage

Charles Scaliger July 13, 2010

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...

Foreclosures Hit Rich and Poor

Bruce Walker July 11, 2010

The rich as well as the poor are losing their homes to foreclosures. That fact helps demonstrate the vast silliness of the federal...

Unskilled Workers and Public Education

Bruce Walker July 5, 2010

The New York Times reports that many factories are ready to hire workers, but that applicants for jobs lack the skills in math...

Congress Considers Extending Unemployment Benefits — Again

Michael Tennant July 2, 2010

One ironclad rule of government programs is “if you subsidize something, you will get more of it.” Thus, paying poor, unmarried women to...

Headed for Recovery … or the “Cliff-edge Around the Corner”?

William F. Jasper July 1, 2010

After a meeting with his economic team and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on June 29, President Obama announced "the economy is strengthening"...