Reducing the Trade Deficit with China: Repealing the Crude Oil Export Ban
China / Energy / Politics

Reducing the Trade Deficit with China: Repealing the Crude Oil Export Ban

With much of the current energy conversation surrounding the Keystone XL Pipeline, many Americans have forgotten, or may not even know, about another energy issue that might just be more important: the crude oil export ban. Since the 1970’s, the U.S. government has prohibited U.S. oil producers to export crude oil internationally in order to … Continue reading

Retirement Age and the Social Security Dilemma
Aging / America / Debt / Economy / Labor Force / Social Security

Retirement Age and the Social Security Dilemma

Ever since the members of the U.S Business Roundtable presented their plan to gradually raise the retirement age to seventy last year, the political and economic realm has been on fire with both support and recrimination. This fervor has only intensified after a recently released report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) which stated that, holding … Continue reading

Deficits and the Business Cycle: Why We Should Still Worry About the Deficit
Debt / Economy / Fiscal policy

Deficits and the Business Cycle: Why We Should Still Worry About the Deficit

Why we should Still Worry about the Deficit On October 15, the Department of The Treasury released the final budget results from Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. The results showed an overall deficit of $483 billion, $197 billion less than in 2013 ($680 billion), which amounts to a reduction of the deficit as a percentage of GDP … Continue reading

Economy / Fiscal policy / Healthcare / Politics / Tax

Occupy entitlements! And the tax code!

By Will Portman The Occupy movement has brought income inequality to the forefront of the national political discussion over the past year, even if both the movement and the issue have faded in recent months. Occupy protestors are concerned about the growing wealth gap in the U.S., pointing to studies like the recent Congressional Budget Office … Continue reading

Economy / Fiscal policy / Healthcare / Politics / Tax

The Ryan budget vs. the Obama budget

By Will Portman Winston Churchill once said, “Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing… after they have exhausted all other possibilities.” House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) cited the late British Prime Minister’s famous quote this week as he unveiled The Path to Prosperity, his budget for fiscal year 2013, arguing … Continue reading