Metro areas all over the country are trying to nurture startups, without much luck. The Gateway City is succeeding. What’s its secret?
economy
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Raising the Stakes on Too Big to Fail
If the goal of Wall Street reform is to prevent U.S. taxpayers from having to bail out the big financial institutions again, the remarks by two Federal Reserve governors today were good news. Fed governors Daniel Tarullo and Jerome Powell, in separate public comments on Thursday, said the Fed would require eight of the largest […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
President Obama Takes on the Role of Explainer-in-Chief
Perhaps there is something about being a former president or an almost-former president that provides you with a particular perspective. I wondered about that when I watched President Obama’s speech in Elkhart, Indiana yesterday. He sounded an awful lot like the “explainer-in-chief” that Bill Clinton became at the 2012 Democratic Convention. I guess it shouldn’t […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Yes, Voters Really Are Angry and Anxious About the Unfairness of the Economy
There is a growing amount of contrarian analysis these days suggesting that Americans really aren’t so angry about the economy after all, that what appears to be economic populism is really just a cover for racism, sexism or other cultural issues, and that ultimately the only thing the majority of voters really want is a […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Facts That Challenge the Narrative About Angry Working Class Voters
Every presidential election narratives are developed that attempt to highlight significant groups of voters and explain their political choices. For example, do you remember “soccer moms” in 1996? With the candidacies of both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders this year, we are hearing a lot about “angry” and “working class” voters – with those two […]
Posted inMagazine, November/December 2010
The Next Real Estate Boom
How housing (yes, housing) can turn the economy around.
Posted inMagazine
The $30 Billion Rebate
Washington could help the economy by writing a check to every purchaser of a new, American-made car.
Posted inJuly 1982
10 Heresies That Could Save Our Economy
Our economy is on the ropes. It may not be in a depression—yet. It may have spared you and your family up to now. But it’s in trouble, and despite a few recent glimmers of recovery, it’s going to remain in trouble for many months to come. Take capital investment plans. They’re down sharply this […]
Posted inNovember 1979
How to Burst the Real Estate Bubble
The real estate boom is bad for America. It’s bad for out economy, and it’s bad for our souls. For many people, especially those living in major cities and their suburbs, real estate has become an obsession, a cause for panic. Those who don’t own houses are desperate to buy them, so desperate that they […]
