Bankruptcy is Just a Band-Aid, Puerto Rico Needs Meaningful Reform
Debt / Economy / Latin America

Bankruptcy is Just a Band-Aid, Puerto Rico Needs Meaningful Reform

The global economy has been experiencing its fair share of ups and downs.  Many eyes, including my own, have been locked on Greece as the country struggles to stay afloat under the overwhelming weight of its government debt.  Furthermore, Prime Minister Tsipras’s leftist economic policies have all but dismantled the Greek economy.  Outlandish tax rates … Continue reading

Monsanto: The Latest to Flee from the Harmful U.S. Corporate Tax Rate
Economy / Fiscal policy / Taxes

Monsanto: The Latest to Flee from the Harmful U.S. Corporate Tax Rate

There is no question that Monsanto has a controversial reputation.  It is the country’s leading producer of genetically modified seeds, and consequently the largest target for anti-GMO activists.  Now, critics are balking at Monsanto for entirely unrelated reasons: the Missouri-based firm recently announced its plan to buyout a Swiss chemical manufacturer and make the joint … Continue reading

Attn Class of 2015: Don’t Be Fooled by Low Unemployment Numbers
America / Economy / Labor Force

Attn Class of 2015: Don’t Be Fooled by Low Unemployment Numbers

It’s graduation season! And according to sources from both the White House and the Fed, the current unemployment rate of only 5.5 percent signals a wealth of opportunity for grads.   Furthermore, the unemployment rate has been consistently declining.  This means that all of us in Class of 2015 should breathe easy; the time has come … Continue reading

Exchanging Trash for Treasure
Economy / Environment / Fiscal policy / Tax / Taxes

Exchanging Trash for Treasure

The Michigan state government recently stumbled across a startling statistic. Over the past decade its revenue streams were $8-10 million below what it expected. The cause? Residents of nearby states have been smuggling millions of bottles and cans into Michigan, taking advantage of its nation-leading 10-cent bottle refund. Michigan is one of 10 states nationwide … Continue reading

The Debt Ceiling: Good Politics, Not Policy
Debt / Economy / Fiscal policy / Politics / U.S. Domestic Policy

The Debt Ceiling: Good Politics, Not Policy

As of this past week, our federal government has managed to clear the hurdle of fully funding the Department of Homeland Security. Unfortunately, this is only one of the many vitally important budget issues on the horizon, including Medicare payments to doctors, funding for the Highway Trust Fund and our crumbling infrastructure, and the prospect … Continue reading

The Myth of the Underpaid Minimum Wage Worker
America / Economy / Labor Force / Politics / U.S. Senate

The Myth of the Underpaid Minimum Wage Worker

One of greatest falsehoods that clouds the discussion over whether to raise the minimum wage is that these workers are underpaid compared to the value they provide to their employers.  Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren made the case, “If we started in 1960 and we said that as productivity goes up, that is as workers are … Continue reading

The Confident Public: Misguided or Justified on the “Graying of America?”
America / Culture / Economy / Fiscal policy / Medicare / Politics / Social Security

The Confident Public: Misguided or Justified on the “Graying of America?”

The graying of America is not a new fear for economists and politicians. Before even the earliest Baby Boomers began retiring, economists were making predictions about the hardships America would undoubtedly face as it aged. Many say those problems have already begun, while others argue they have been over exaggerated and prematurely predicted. The American … Continue reading

The New Part-Time Economy
Economy

The New Part-Time Economy

The US economy has been showing signs of recovery in the last year, adding 195,000 jobs in June alone, as the labor market advanced despite huge federal spending cuts and tax increases. This may sound nice at first, but the underlying truth to various “recovery” statistics is that the majority of new jobs added are … Continue reading