Room for Improvement When It Comes to Services Trade
The Obama Administration recently announced its intention to begin negotiations on an agreement to expand international trade in the services industry, such as the telecommunications,… Read More
Mexico Poised to Become an “Aztec Tiger”
Newly installed Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto is seeking to revamp Mexico’s economy, and one tool he has already pursued is labor reform. It is… Read More
Chart of the Week: High Public Debt Damages Economic Growth
When President Obama says he wants “a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in broad-based growth,” he means more government spending. This is why… Read More
Declining Economic Freedom and Growing Statism: The BRICs Are Hitting the Wall
Economist Nouriel Roubini warned late last month at the World Economic Forum that economic growth in the so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China)… Read More
Hard to Justify Across-the-Board Federal Pay Raises
The House just voted on a proposal to extend President Obama’s (misnamed) “federal pay freeze” for another year. While Congress has better ways of reducing… Read More
Krugman Still Wrong on Federal Spending and the Economy
A not-so-small cottage industry has grown up refuting liberal economist Paul Krugman’s public pronouncements. It’s not a hard industry to join, and there’s plenty of… Read More
EconomyNews
Morning Bell: Why Should I Care About the U.S. Debt?
You’re busy. So busy you barely have time to read these words. So why should you care about the us debt? Does it affect your… Read More
Feds Foreclose on $2 Billion Consultants’ Bill
President Obama assured the nation in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday that the housing market is “healing,” although mortgage credit remains extremely… Read More
Japan’s Economy – What Really Matters
Japanese gross domestic product (GDP) fell for the third straight quarter (October–December) and was essentially flat for 2012 as a whole. This continues two decades… Read More
Watch Out…The President’s Talking “Balance” Again
If you aren’t nervous, you should be. The President is, once again, talking about a “balanced approach” to fixing sequestration—the across-the-board budget cuts scheduled to… Read More
Be Mine: Sugar Industry Should Welcome Free Trade
Valentine’s Day is synonymous with roses, chocolate, and those wonderfully sweet heart-shaped sugar candies. What isn’t so sweet about the holiday of love is the… Read More
EconomyNews
A Simple and Wrong Answer to Poverty: Increasing the Minimum Wage
During last night’s State of the Union address, President Obama proposed fighting poverty by raising the minimum wage. It sounds appealing but it will not… Read More
Dodd-Frank: Dismal Findings on Rulemaking
Two recent reports document anew the failure of federal agencies to meet the extensive rulemaking requirements of the Dodd–Frank statute. The regulatory backlog highlights how… Read More
Cutting Federal Waste: Not a Silver Bullet, but Still Important
President Obama’s State of the Union Address tomorrow evening provides him with a chance to explain how he would put the country on a path… Read More
U.S.–China Trade: Don’t Let the Numbers Fool You
The numbers for America’s trade in 2012 came out on Friday and, as usual, China is prominent. America’s goods trade deficit with China broke the… Read More
Obama Jobs Council Disbanded – Despite Economy, Jobs as Top Priority for Americans
President Obama has allowed his jobs council to expire – even though “strengthening [the] economy” and “improving [the] job situation” continue to be top priorities for the… Read More
Free Trade Twist: China No Longer Cheapest Labor
As wages in China rise with economic growth, some companies are beginning to look elsewhere for what was once China’s selling point: cheap labor. It… Read More
VIDEO: Dr. Ben Carson Speaks Truth to Power at National Prayer Breakfast
Yesterday, world-renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson presented the keynote address at the 61st Annual National Prayer Breakfast. With President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden,… Read More
Upstate South Carolina: A Case Study in Free Trade Benefits
Greenville, South Carolina, is the ninth-fastest growing city in the United States, according to CNN Money. Two of the main contributors to this rapid growth… Read More
EconomyNews
Sending a Message: USPS Sinks Saturday Service
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) caused an uproar yesterday when it announced that it would be ending Saturday delivery of letter mail this August, saving… Read More
Tales of the Red Tape #39: Swapping Wealth Creation for Regulatory Claptrap
Not many people know the meaning of “swap” (as in a financial hedge, not flea market). Only the most sophisticated investors actually understand the complexities… Read More
S&P Suit: No New Laws Were Needed for 2008 Collapse
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) civil suit against credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) shows that laws that existed well before the financial crash… Read More
Trade Deficit Doesn’t Matter – Trade Freedom Does
On February 8, the government will release data on imports and exports for 2012. This annual release often ignites a misguided debate about trade deficits…. Read More
Union Head Convicted, Showing Need for Union Transparency
Last week, the government convicted Tyrone Freeman, president of SEIU Local 6434 in Los Angeles, of 14 counts of illegally diverting union dues into his… Read More
Reagan’s Legacy: Economic Freedom
In his January speech, the President spoke eloquently: “One of the greatest contributions the United States can make to the world is to promote freedom… Read More
Eric Cantor Speaks on American Opportunity
Fiscal cliffs, debt, and unbalanced budgets have made raising a family in America more difficult, but pursing opportunity-oriented policies centered on creating prosperity can turn… Read More
DeMint on Fox News: “The President Is Not Willing to Cut Spending”
Lawmakers in Washington cut a deal on the dreaded fiscal cliff last month — hiking taxes without cutting much spending. Now, President Obama wants to… Read More
Obama’s Sequester Proposal: Details AWOL
In another stunning failure of leadership, President Obama today asked Congress to delay the scheduled across-the-board spending cuts, including those that will decimate the national… Read More
White House Dismisses Budget Deadline
We knew President Obama would be late in submitting his fiscal year 2014 budget proposal. White House press secretary Jay Carney largely dismissed yesterday’s legal… Read More
Rotten Tomato Trade Policy from the Obama Administration
U.S. consumers will soon be paying more for tomatoes thanks to the Obama Administration’s new trade policy. Under a just-announced agreement with Mexico, Americans reportedly… Read More
