News
Politico | Holding Congress accountable
If competitive elections are the backbone of our democratic republic, U.S. House elections are the snails: no vertebrae, only a hard, protective shell of their own making. More than 80 percent of members are safe within the shell of one-party districts where they’re never tested by a challenge from the opposing party, and they rarely face a serious primary challenge.
CNN Money | No more paper Social Security checks come March
Millions of Americans still receiving paper checks for Social Security and other federal benefits have less than two months to switch to electronic payments.
Bloomberg | Box Demand as Economic Gauge Shows U.S. Output Gains: EcoPulse
Makers of corrugated boxes will probably see a pick-up in demand for their products as recent gains in manufacturing indicate the U.S. expansion will be sustained in 2013.
WSJ | Americans Get Moving Amid Torpid Recovery
Americans began striking out for greener pastures at a pace not seen since before the recession crippled job prospects, hobbled home sales and kept many stuck in place.
Washington Times | Big worries linger for
many small businesses
Tom Romola makes his living as a debt collector, a business in which one can prosper in bad times and good. But like many small-business owners these days, he says, the economy presents a particularly difficult challenge for the little guy.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Washington Times | Beyond waste and fraud
Democrats are united in their fiscal message. Throughout the “cliff” negotiations and again with the pending debt-ceiling debate, their argument has rested on a single, flimsy premise: Cutting government spending would push the economy into recession.
WSJ | The States of Foreclosure
One reason for optimism in the New Year is the housing market, which continues to heal despite the weak economic recovery. Case-Shiller, Lender Processing Services and other data trackers are reporting recoveries in many regions. Even more noteworthy is that the rebound is strongest in states that let lenders enforce contracts.
Market Watch | A year of stagnation continued in 2013: Andy Xie
Between 2009 and 2011, the emerging economies, especially the BRICs, kept growing following a brief crash in 2008. Many pundits interpreted it as a sign of decoupling. Emerging economies, due to their low base, tend to grow faster than the developed ones. The issue is by how much.
CNN Money | The road to real recovery is open
This is the year that the U.S. economy could pick up steam on the way back to broad-based prosperity. Assuming governments here and around the world limit their follies (yes, I'm being hopeful), we could be at the beginning of a run rivaling the manufacturing boom of the '50s and '60s that built the middle class, or the tech boom of the '90s that built the investor class.
Market Watch | Housing affordability on track to set record: NAR
Housing affordability is expected to set a record in 2012 due to low prices and interest rates, according to data released Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors.
Heritage Foundation | A Housing Market Free from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: The Economic Effects of Eliminating the Housing Government Sponsored Enterprises
Elimination of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the mortgage interest rate subsidy that these mortgage institutions generate would have minimal impact on the U.S. economy. Congress needs to recognize that this institutional model has failed and should be eliminated to protect U.S. taxpayers and the U.S. Treasury.
Blogs
Café Hayek | On Income Inequality
Bottom Line: Household demographics, including the average number of earners per household and the marital status, age, and education of householders are all very highly correlated with household income.
WSJ | Secondary Sources: Platinum Coin, Fed Dissenters, New Mercantilism
A roundup of economic news from around the Web.
