News
CNN Money | Automakers are getting crushed in Europe
Europe's deteriorating economy is wreaking havoc on global automakers, as car sales across the continent have sunk to their lowest level since the mid-1990s.
Econ Comments & Analysis
NY Times | Canada’s Oil Minister, Unmuzzled
The last time your friendly scribe sought an interview with Joe Oliver, Canada’s minister of natural resources, he was turned down flat. It was February last year.
Bloomberg | Obama Wants to Make Sure You Don’t Retire Rich
A bullet point on Page 18 of President Barack Obama’s 2014 budget sounds ominous: “Prohibit Individuals from Accumulating Over $3 Million in Tax-Preferred Retirement Accounts.” That it appears in a section titled “Strengthening the Middle Class” is odd since such a proposal would seem to undermine the goal.
Politico | Conservatives’ grand opportunity on energy
It’s rough when your campaign photo has you pictured in outdated eyeglasses, but you’ve already printed hundreds of signs. What do you do? You can’t throw away the signs. And you can’t update your glasses. So you just keep wearing those outdated frames for the current cycle — and your children cringe.
National Journal | Being In the Middle Class Means Worrying About Falling Behind
Americans still believe they can reach for the stars, but they are increasingly fearful they are standing on a trapdoor as they try.
NBER | How Elastic Are Preferences for Redistribution? Evidence from Randomized Survey Experiments
This paper analyzes the effects of information about inequality and taxes on preferences for redistribution using randomized online surveys on Amazon Mechanical Turk (mTurk).
Blogs
WSJ | Why Housing Won’t Save the U.S. Economy
New home sales during the first quarter stood at their highest level for any first quarter since 2008, boosting hopes that housing could help power the economy through a painfully slow recovery.
Heritage Foundation | Time to Rethink Federal Highway Trust Fund Spending
The Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which funds most surface interstate transportation programs, from roads to bridges, faces insolvency in a few short years. In a House Budget Hearing today, one witness—Robert Poole of the Reason Foundation—offered lawmakers a near-term solution akin to what The Heritage Foundation has proposed: Recommit HTF revenue to funding highway and bridge programs only.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Health Care
News
Politico | Lawmakers, aides may get Obamacare exemption
Congressional leaders in both parties are engaged in high-level, confidential talks about exempting lawmakers and Capitol Hill aides from the insurance exchanges they are mandated to join as part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, sources in both parties said.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Washington Times | Obamacare off the rails
Sen. Max Baucus, who as chairman of the Finance Committee guided Obamacare down the tracks in the U.S. Senate, is changing his tune now that he’s about to retreat into Montana to hide in placid retirement. He sees “a huge train wreck coming down” with the implementation of President Obama’s health care takeover. Now he tells us.
CNN Money | Doctor: 'I gave up on health care in America'
In late 2010, Dr. Grady Snyder saw the writing on the wall. He was burned out, his revenue was shrinking and it was getting too expensive to run his rural practice in Pueblo, Colo.
Blogs
Heritage Foundtaion | 10 Myths About the Obamacare Medicaid Expansion
As Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion is being debated in the states, many myths are being perpetuated by its advocates. Here, Heritage provides the research to debunk such myths
Politico | Lawmakers, aides may get Obamacare exemption
Congressional leaders in both parties are engaged in high-level, confidential talks about exempting lawmakers and Capitol Hill aides from the insurance exchanges they are mandated to join as part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, sources in both parties said.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Washington Times | Obamacare off the rails
Sen. Max Baucus, who as chairman of the Finance Committee guided Obamacare down the tracks in the U.S. Senate, is changing his tune now that he’s about to retreat into Montana to hide in placid retirement. He sees “a huge train wreck coming down” with the implementation of President Obama’s health care takeover. Now he tells us.
CNN Money | Doctor: 'I gave up on health care in America'
In late 2010, Dr. Grady Snyder saw the writing on the wall. He was burned out, his revenue was shrinking and it was getting too expensive to run his rural practice in Pueblo, Colo.
Blogs
Heritage Foundtaion | 10 Myths About the Obamacare Medicaid Expansion
As Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion is being debated in the states, many myths are being perpetuated by its advocates. Here, Heritage provides the research to debunk such myths
Monetary
News
CNBC | Possible Fed Successor Has Admirers and Foes
In July 1996, the Federal Reserve broke the metronomic routine of its closed-door policy-making meetings to hold an unusual debate. The Fed's powerful chairman, Alan Greenspan, saw a chance for the first time in decades to drive annual inflation all the way down to zero, achieving the price stability he had long regarded as the central bank's primary mission.
Bloomberg | Central Banks Load Up on Equities
Central banks, guardians of the world’s $11 trillion in foreign-exchange reserves, are buying stocks in record amounts as falling bond yields push even risk- averse investors toward equities.
Econ Comments & Analysis
WSJ | Suddenly, Banks Are Victims
Standard & Poor's on Tuesday asked a federal judge to dismiss a $5 billion fraud lawsuit filed by the Justice Department. The judge ought to grant S&P's motion for many reasons, not least because otherwise no one will be able to sort Washington's list of victims and villains.
CNBC | Possible Fed Successor Has Admirers and Foes
In July 1996, the Federal Reserve broke the metronomic routine of its closed-door policy-making meetings to hold an unusual debate. The Fed's powerful chairman, Alan Greenspan, saw a chance for the first time in decades to drive annual inflation all the way down to zero, achieving the price stability he had long regarded as the central bank's primary mission.
Bloomberg | Central Banks Load Up on Equities
Central banks, guardians of the world’s $11 trillion in foreign-exchange reserves, are buying stocks in record amounts as falling bond yields push even risk- averse investors toward equities.
Econ Comments & Analysis
WSJ | Suddenly, Banks Are Victims
Standard & Poor's on Tuesday asked a federal judge to dismiss a $5 billion fraud lawsuit filed by the Justice Department. The judge ought to grant S&P's motion for many reasons, not least because otherwise no one will be able to sort Washington's list of victims and villains.
Taxes
Econ Comments & Analysis
Barrons | A Revolting Development
In the 1920s, Will Rogers found one point in favor of the government's finances: "It's a good thing we don't get all the government we pay for," he told audiences whose wealthiest members paid only a few cents on the dollar. In the modern day, of course, Americans of all walks of life pay a lot more and get a lot more government than they pay for.
Blogs
Heritage Foundation | Internet Sales Tax: Your Online Shopping Could Cost More
Think buying your favorite products online is a good deal? You could face higher costs for online shopping if Congress approves a new sales tax bill that is making its way through the Senate. The bill, dubbed the Marketplace Fairness Act, would allow states to force out-of-state retailers to collect taxes for them.
Barrons | A Revolting Development
In the 1920s, Will Rogers found one point in favor of the government's finances: "It's a good thing we don't get all the government we pay for," he told audiences whose wealthiest members paid only a few cents on the dollar. In the modern day, of course, Americans of all walks of life pay a lot more and get a lot more government than they pay for.
Blogs
Heritage Foundation | Internet Sales Tax: Your Online Shopping Could Cost More
Think buying your favorite products online is a good deal? You could face higher costs for online shopping if Congress approves a new sales tax bill that is making its way through the Senate. The bill, dubbed the Marketplace Fairness Act, would allow states to force out-of-state retailers to collect taxes for them.
Employment
News
CNN Money | Jobless claims fall, point to improving job market
Amid a slew of gloomy economic news, here's a bright spot: Claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, pointing to slight improvement in the job market.
CNN Money | Unemployment misery deepens in Spain and Greece
The eurozone debt crisis extracted a heavy price in Spain and Greece to start the year as labor markets in both countries continued to shed jobs.
Washington Post | States with the biggest changes in jobless aid applications, and some reasons, at a glance
Weekly U.S. unemployment benefit applications fell 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 339,000, the second-lowest level in more than five years. The decline suggests companies are laying off fewer workers and may step up hiring.
Blogs
Library of Economics | The Federal Pay Scale: Inflated Yet Compressed
Back in 2010, USA Today and other popular media loudly declared that federal employees were grossly overpaid. Famed economist Peter Orszag swiftly denied this allegation on behalf of the Obama administration.
WSJ | High-Skilled Guest Workers Lower U.S. Wages, Study Finds
As Congress debates whether to grant more visas to high-skilled workers, a new study says contends that the influx leads to lower American wages.
CNN Money | Jobless claims fall, point to improving job market
Amid a slew of gloomy economic news, here's a bright spot: Claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, pointing to slight improvement in the job market.
CNN Money | Unemployment misery deepens in Spain and Greece
The eurozone debt crisis extracted a heavy price in Spain and Greece to start the year as labor markets in both countries continued to shed jobs.
Washington Post | States with the biggest changes in jobless aid applications, and some reasons, at a glance
Weekly U.S. unemployment benefit applications fell 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 339,000, the second-lowest level in more than five years. The decline suggests companies are laying off fewer workers and may step up hiring.
Blogs
Library of Economics | The Federal Pay Scale: Inflated Yet Compressed
Back in 2010, USA Today and other popular media loudly declared that federal employees were grossly overpaid. Famed economist Peter Orszag swiftly denied this allegation on behalf of the Obama administration.
WSJ | High-Skilled Guest Workers Lower U.S. Wages, Study Finds
As Congress debates whether to grant more visas to high-skilled workers, a new study says contends that the influx leads to lower American wages.
Budget
Econ Comments & Analysis
Washington Post | The Reinhart/Rogoff brawl
An insistent question of our time is, how much government debt is too much. Is there some debt level that becomes crushing as opposed to merely costly? The controversy over research by economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff shows how explosive the issue is.
Daily Caller | New Simpson-Bowles plan a needed wake-up call
Last week, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, co-chairs of the Moment of Truth Project, released a new budget plan, titled “A Bipartisan Path Forward to Securing America’s Future.”
Heritage Foundation | The Unknown Cost of Federal Student Loans
As Congress again considers preventing the interest rate on federal student loans from doubling, the cost to taxpayers should be a central issue. However, the federal government’s accounting practices systematically understate the cost of student loans by failing to account for market risk.
Blogs
Market Watch | Republicans’ debt-limit bill advances in House
A Republican bill to pay Treasury bondholders if the U.S. hits its debt ceiling advanced in the House on Wednesday, clearing the Ways and Means Committee.
Washington Post | The Reinhart/Rogoff brawl
An insistent question of our time is, how much government debt is too much. Is there some debt level that becomes crushing as opposed to merely costly? The controversy over research by economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff shows how explosive the issue is.
Daily Caller | New Simpson-Bowles plan a needed wake-up call
Last week, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, co-chairs of the Moment of Truth Project, released a new budget plan, titled “A Bipartisan Path Forward to Securing America’s Future.”
Heritage Foundation | The Unknown Cost of Federal Student Loans
As Congress again considers preventing the interest rate on federal student loans from doubling, the cost to taxpayers should be a central issue. However, the federal government’s accounting practices systematically understate the cost of student loans by failing to account for market risk.
Blogs
Market Watch | Republicans’ debt-limit bill advances in House
A Republican bill to pay Treasury bondholders if the U.S. hits its debt ceiling advanced in the House on Wednesday, clearing the Ways and Means Committee.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)