Orange County, California Correspondent The stock market set a record this week, the unemployment rate is at a fifty-year low, and the Federal Reserve has just cut interest rates three times in four months, and I want to begin by pointing out that those three facts do not belong in the same sentence. A central … Continue reading With signs of a global economic slowdown, trade tensions, and Federal Reserve rate cuts, how resilient is the U.S. and world economy heading into 2020?
Economy
With the Green New Deal, the Amazon fires, and youth climate strikes, has 2019 changed the politics of climate policy in the U.S., or only the volume?
Bismarck, North Dakota Correspondent I work in energy compliance in a state that produces more oil than any but Texas, mines lignite that fires the power plants that keep the upper Midwest warm, and ships both by rail through towns where the only other employer is the school, and I want to answer this question … Continue reading With the Green New Deal, the Amazon fires, and youth climate strikes, has 2019 changed the politics of climate policy in the U.S., or only the volume?
What does the year-end government shutdown over border-wall funding suggest about the state of budget negotiations and immigration politics in Washington?
Las Vegas, Nevada Correspondent I read budget hearings for pleasure, which is a confession, and I want to begin with the thing that nobody covering this shutdown has bothered to say, which is that 2018 was the best year for the federal appropriations process in a decade. Five of the twelve spending bills, including the … Continue reading What does the year-end government shutdown over border-wall funding suggest about the state of budget negotiations and immigration politics in Washington?
What do the California wildfires and other extreme weather events of 2018 indicate about the readiness of governments and insurers for climate-related disasters?
Clermont, Florida Correspondent I follow insurance and property markets for a living, and I want to start with a fact that explains more about readiness than any climate report: a small insurer in California called Merced Property and Casualty was declared insolvent on Monday because it wrote homeowners policies in Paradise and Paradise is gone. … Continue reading What do the California wildfires and other extreme weather events of 2018 indicate about the readiness of governments and insurers for climate-related disasters?
Is the escalating U.S.-China trade war more likely to produce a new equilibrium on trade or lasting economic damage for both sides?
Novi, Michigan Correspondent I manage supply chains for a living, so let me tell you what the trade war looks like from the inside of a purchasing meeting rather than from the inside of a cable news panel. It looks like a spreadsheet with a column that did not exist a year ago, and that … Continue reading Is the escalating U.S.-China trade war more likely to produce a new equilibrium on trade or lasting economic damage for both sides?
Considering the growing power and influence of technology companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon, are we at risk of becoming a Big Brother society where our every move is observed, and every detail of our private lives is accessible to those who wish to manipulate or exploit us in some way?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent-I don’t think we’re at risk of becoming a Big Brother society, I think we’re already there. Big Data has infiltrated every part of our lives, and the ability of hackers to take over smart devices in our homes, listen in our baby monitors and even turn on the cameras in our computers … Continue reading Considering the growing power and influence of technology companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon, are we at risk of becoming a Big Brother society where our every move is observed, and every detail of our private lives is accessible to those who wish to manipulate or exploit us in some way?
Is cutting taxes without cutting spending—as happened with the passage of the 2018 federal tax bill—a viable long-term economic strategy?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent-The feds passed another massive tax cut bill in 2018 that will push the annual deficits up toward the $1 trillion per year level yet again. We are the largest debtor nation in the history of the world and will probably never be challenged for that honor by any other country. The puzzling … Continue reading Is cutting taxes without cutting spending—as happened with the passage of the 2018 federal tax bill—a viable long-term economic strategy?
How can we solve the growing labor shortages and get foreign workers into US jobs where they are needed?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent-There are tens of thousands of businesses across the U.S. hanging out help wanted signs for technical and professional jobs that are going unfilled. We simply don’t have the talent base in our native workforce to fill them all, and it will be decades before we’ve got enough workers trained to meet the … Continue reading How can we solve the growing labor shortages and get foreign workers into US jobs where they are needed?
In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica revelations, are tech platforms facing meaningful regulatory or reputational consequences for data practices and political influence?
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Correspondent I buy Facebook ads for a living, so let me begin with a confession that will sound like a defense and is not meant as one: everything Cambridge Analytica did with the data, I could have done with the tools Facebook sells to anyone with a credit card. Not the … Continue reading In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica revelations, are tech platforms facing meaningful regulatory or reputational consequences for data practices and political influence?
Increasing the minimum wage has been the focus of improving economic opportunities for low paid workers. Is this the right approach or is a better solution reducing the cost of living?
Myrtle Beach, SC Correspondent-This is a tough one…Where one side of me says yes we need higher wages (I’ll refer you to my previous comments that employers need to pay decent wages because it’s the right thing to do); the other side of me thinks there is some room on the opposite end, the “bill” … Continue reading Increasing the minimum wage has been the focus of improving economic opportunities for low paid workers. Is this the right approach or is a better solution reducing the cost of living?
