Economy | On the Economy
Unemployed people per job opening dropsThe number of unemployed people available per open job used to be seven; now it's around four.
The economy is improving whether conservatives like it or notConservatives who would like to bash Obama on the economy are having an awfully hard time right now, as the recovery proceeds apace.
Ben Bernanke shows his mettle, againIn recent remarks, Ben Bernanke showed that he鈥檚 not at all swept up in optimism about recent improvements鈥攈e鈥檚 particularly on point regarding continued weaknesses in the job market鈥攁nd he clearly cites all the reasons to keep pressing on monetary stimulus.
It's time to raise minimum wage againIf the national minimum wage isn't raised again soon, it will only increase the growing problem of wage inequality.
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If the deficit goes down too fast, unemployment goes upIf the Bush tax cuts expire on schedule,聽 the drag to the still-too-weak economy from the reduction in after-tax income would mean less buying power for a lot of families and that would send the unemployment rate back up past 9 percent.
What Mitt Romney's 'poor' gaffe really meansWhat Romney seems to have meant is that he believes the least-well-off are amply provided for by the safety net. Too bad he wants to shred it.
The problem with the 'trickle down' theoryThe trickle-down, de-regulatory agenda presumes that the growth chain starts at the top of the wealth scale and 鈥渢rickles down鈥� to those at the middle and the bottom of that scale.聽 Problem is, that鈥檚 not how it works
Local budget cuts drag down the entire economy聽Instead of raising taxes, cities and states are balancing their budgets by laying off teachers, cops, maintenance workers. The loss of state and local jobs slows fiscal growth for everyone.
Good housing legislation could save the economyHousing is the one area of policy with the greatest potential to actually move the needle on the economy
Fourth-quarter GDP figures good, not greatThe growth rate was 2.8 percent, slightly below expectations but an okay boost nevertheless.
15 percent or not, tax policy favors the richMitt Romney hasn't done anything wrong in paying a low tax rate. What鈥檚 wrong is the tax system itself鈥攂y favoring investment income, the excessive use of pass-throughs, and subsidizing debt financing.
Obama's SOTU was specific, forcefulObama's SOTU speech called for lawmakers to聽 鈥渂uild on the momentum we鈥檝e got right now" by creating incentives for manufacturers, skills for workers, jobs in fossil fuel extraction and clean energy innovation, all financed by a fairer tax code.
How much will Romney really slash the budget?Mitt Romney is聽 proposing deep spending cuts that would cap federal spending at 20 percent GDP. That means slashing Social Security benefits and pushing 2.6 million additional Americans into poverty.
Rick vs. Newt: The debate factorRick Perry's candidacy failed almost entirely on the weakness of his debate performances, while Newt Gingrich's聽 is thriving on the strength of his. One problem: a good debater doesn't necessarily make a good president.
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