Category Archives: Politics

Gun Violence Has Too Many Causes

Popular Economics Weekly The tragic Newtown, Connecticut elementary school mass shooting is just the latest in a string of mass shootings that have contributed to more than 1 million dead by guns over the past decade in the U.S.—an average … Continue reading

Posted in Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Michigan Republicans Repeat Economy Wrecking Doctrine

Financial FAQs Michigan has become the latest Republican-led effort to wreck economic growth in passing a right-to-work laws that restrict unions. With all apologies to Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine, Repubs are no longer waiting for recessions to enrich their wealthiest … Continue reading

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Macro Economics, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Unemployment Rate Falls to 7.7 Percent

Popular Economics Weekly Economists are rubbing their eyes over the November jobs report. It seems stimulus spending works. Obama’s $830 Billion ARRA stimulus + the Federal Reserve’s QE efforts to hold down interest rates has now created almost 6 million … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Housing, housing market, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Falling Households Incomes—The Real ‘Fiscal Cliff’

Popular Economics Weekly It is household income that is falling off a cliff. This is partly due to the busted housing bubble and subsequent Great Recession that shaved 40 percent from household wealth. But household incomes haven’t been rising as … Continue reading

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Macro Economics, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two Percent Growth Isn’t ‘New’ Normal

Popular Economics Weekly There are many ways to look at the “weak” 2 percent growth numbers for Q3, though just the ‘Advance Estimate’ and so subject to at least 2 more revisions. But such weak growth isn’t due to excessive … Continue reading

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Macro Economics, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

U.S. Economy Is In Recovery

Popular Economics Weekly I mentioned last week that the U.S. economy is now growing faster than the rest of the developed world. How can that be, you say, with all the election propaganda saying the recovery has been a failure?  … Continue reading

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Macro Economics, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

President Obama’s Record Achievements

Financial FAQs Why so many doubters of the President’s record? Candidate Romney would have us believe Obama has accomplished nothing, but in fact President Obama has one of the most history making legislative records since FDR. The Washington Monthly lists … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Keynesian economics, Macro Economics, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jobs Picture Much Better Than Forecast

Popular Economics Weekly The Bureau of Labor Statistics gave markets a shot of good news recently, when it revised the one year March-to-March 2012 jobs totals upward by 32,000 per month. This was huge and showed much better jobs growth … Continue reading

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Keynesian economics, Macro Economics, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Romney’s 47 Percent Solution

Popular Economics Weekly We know that Mitt Romney at a Florida fundraiser claimed that there are 47 percent of the people who will vote for President Obama no matter what, and “my job is not to worry about those people. … Continue reading

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bernanke’s QE3 Challenge

Popular Economics Weekly Should we call him King Ben? Much like King Arthur, Fed Chairman Bernanke and his Roundtable of Fed Governors have taken on the confidence fairies, to use Paul Krugmans’s term, the austerity promoters who believe the only … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Housing, housing market, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment