- Sep 4, 2010 New tax may be hard to swallow (Washington Post) But not if it brings new taxes."More taxes. Some managed beer, wine and liquor sales; others, just liquor. A couple had private retail stores from the start. more...
- Sep 3, 2010 Democrats running on austerity (Washington Post) President George W. Bush's tax cuts, enacted in 2001 and 2003, are scheduled to expire this year. Senate candidate Robin Carnahan of Missouri is one of several high-profile Democrats who advocate keeping the Bush cuts in place until the economy improves. When you look at the budget dynamics, that... more...
- Sep 3, 2010 Number of illegal immigrants in U.S. drops, report says (Washington Post) Of the 11.1 million, 60 percent came from Mexico, 20 percent from other parts of Latin America, 11 percent from Asia, and 8 percent from Africa, Europe, Canada and elsewhere. Large declines in illegal immigrants in Florida and Nevada were probably because of the housing crisis and the loss of... more...
- Sep 3, 2010 White House considers pre-midterm package of business tax breaks to spur hiring (Washington Post) Policy staffers are debating a range of options. For example, a payroll-tax holiday - a top priority of many business groups - could be applied only to new hires or extended to current employees. And depending on its form and duration, a payroll-tax holiday could cost more than $300 billion. more...
- Sep 3, 2010 Employers shifting health-care costs to workers, survey shows (Washington Post) ...employers have been shifting health care costs to workers, according to a study released Thursday.The premiums that employees pay for employer-sponsored family coverage rose an average of 13.7 percent this year, while the amount that employers contribute fell by 0.9 percent, the survey... more...
- Sep 3, 2010 Stimulus counterfactuals (Washington Post) Ezra KleinJon Cohn asked some lefty economists to imagine a world in which we'd passed a $1.5 trillion stimulus. If it were twice as large, assume GDP growth in the 3.4-9.0 percent range and the drop in unemployment in the range of 1.4 -3.6 pp. Maybe as many as 5 million of them. more...
- Sep 3, 2010 Wonkbook: White House considers payroll tax holiday; House libs against Social Security cuts; 25% were unemployed during recession (Washington Post) Whatever else the fiscal commission does, it seems likely to come out with some package of reforms for the stories social insurance program. But Republicans aren't very interested in raising payroll taxes, and House liberals have now announced their unified opposition to anything that includes... more...
- Sep 3, 2010 New tax breaks for business on table (Washington Post) For example, a payroll-tax holiday - a top priority of many business groups - could be applied only to new hires or extended to current employees. It has become a joke."Many economists say Obama's policies have been reasonably effective at pulling the nation back from recession. And depending on... more...
- Sep 2, 2010 Wonkbook: Romer wants more stimulus; five reasons for economic optimism; illegal immigration down (Washington Post) The only surefire ways for policymakers to substantially increase aggregate demand in the short run are for the government to spend more and tax less. This part of the yield is counted as part of national income by the Commerce Department. Goldstein argues that the United States could reduce its... more...
- Sep 1, 2010 Economist Christina Romer serves up dismal news at her farewell luncheon (Washington Post) That's not Romer's fault; the financial collapse occurred before she, and Obama, took office. Romer, wearing a green suit, read brightly from her text - a delivery at odds with the dark material she was presenting. Here, Romer became uncharacteristically hesitant to make predictions. more...
- Sep 1, 2010 Excerpts: Mike DeBonis on mayoral debate, campaign (Washington Post) And Fenty had plenty of clues starting certain last summer telling him that.Gray, what is his plan? I am not happy with Fenty at all, however he has made progress. Did his refusals constitute contract steering?Mike DeBonis writes: He has not been pressed on these issues as much as Fenty has been... more...
- Sep 1, 2010 Pew: Illegal immigration down by two-thirds (Washington Post) Jan Brewer and other Republicans about lax enforcement on behalf of the federal government are overblown, let alone hyperbole about an ongoing "invasion" from across the border. more...
- Aug 31, 2010 Why health care is different (Washington Post) First, if you don't get good health care, you might die. more...
- Aug 31, 2010 Obama promises new efforts to boost economy (Washington Post) First, it was to take the form of a photograph at the end of his Monday meeting with economic advisers. That makes no sense," Obama said. "I ask Senate Republicans to drop the blockade. more...
- Aug 30, 2010 IMF loosens lending rules to combat crisis (Washington Post) ...loans are extended to countries already in significant economic trouble - and then only after sometimes-protracted negotiations over economic and other policy changes that the country commits to enact.In response to the recent crisis, the IMF loosened the rules last year and began preapproving... more...
- Aug 30, 2010 Indiana's Ellsworth, onetime Democratic star, now a symbol of party's struggles (Washington Post) Ellsworth is running well behind in the race to replace Sen. The state's two other vulnerable House Democrats, Reps. Democrats expect to open 22 field offices in Indiana this year, about half the number opened by the Obama campaign but unprecedented for any prior election. more...
- Aug 30, 2010 Japan moves to fight rising yen, announces stimulus (Washington Post) Japan's economy grew at just 0.1 percent in the second quarter this year, less than expected. Following the announcement, the yen actually strengthened - rising to 85.12 on the dollar. The government could be adding measures that don't cost anything. more...
- Aug 29, 2010 Jackson: New jobs within 100 days (Washington Post) It has resulted in high unemployment, foreclosures and lack of opportunities for people now entering the workforce. more...
- Aug 29, 2010 Dean: The experience to get results (Washington Post) I have served on the Planning, Zoning and Economic Development Committee for seven of those eight years, including serving as chairman three times. Through this experience, I have accumulated deep empirical knowledge of economic and development issues. The county has the fourth-largest inventory... more...
- Aug 28, 2010 Offshore gas discoveries in Israel prompt squabbling over royalties (Washington Post) But Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz has appointed a committee to determine whether that formula should be changed. But the Arab boycott, which largely prevents companies that invest in oil-rich Arab countries from investing in Israel, has kept most away. A senior Finance Ministry... more...
