Employment stats hide good news
Recently, we pointed out that government spending is receiving, in our opinion, too much credit for providing jobs.
It came in a report noting that during the first quarter of this year, government spending was one of the “bright spots” in the economy, increasing by an annualized rate of about 2 percent.
Just days after our observations were published, the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities warned that cutbacks in spending by state governments are having an adverse effect on employment.
They have forced many states to impose hiring freezes or layoffs of employees.
That is true enough — as far as it goes. But what organizations such as the CBPP do not mention is that every dollar put into government is a dollar taken from the private sector.
Money paid to state governments in the form of taxes could have been retained by families whose spending boosts employment in businesses and industries. Taxation of private
Obama late in Wright decision
We wish that Democratic Party candidate for president Barack Obama had cut all ties to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright previously — but at least he seems to have done (recently).
Wright has been Obama’s pastor for many years — a time during whic
Coal reserves pose key challenge
Most Americans probably have heard the estimate that the United States has enough coal to meet our energy needs for another 250 years.
But the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, cannot confirm that. The
Recession OK in government spending
There is no doubt that the U.S. economy is in a slowdown, but it has not become a recession, according to a report released (last) week. That is good news, of course — but one of the “bright spots” in the report is troubling.
According t
High court right on in voter case
Justices with the U.S. Supreme Court have taken a far-reaching, important stance in regard to fair, honest elections. While their ruling last week was on a narrow issue, it appears to signal a belief in the idea that some limits on voting are import
» Full StoryEffort needed year-round to guard planet
Earth Day 2008 has come and gone, with seemingly less fanfare than it used to generate.
That doesn’t mean there’s anything less important or relevant about the idea behind the observance. Earth Day was started nearly 40 years ago to draw
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