If the U.S. can’t resolve its looming budget problems, the fallout could plunge the entire world economy into a chasm
Taxes
Business Leaders Dive into the Fiscal-Cliff Debate
If you’re already tired of talk of the “fiscal cliff,” brace yourself: Several business-friendly, deficit-unfriendly groups have launched well-funded campaigns hoping to bring even more attention to the issue. One involves a giant walking, talking can.
The Pessimist’s Guide to Surviving the Fiscal Cliff
Whatever the budget deal, it probably won’t be able to prevent sluggish growth and the risk of rising inflation.
Election Day Hangover: Stock Markets Plunge as Investors Eye Fiscal Cliff
The Dow Jones Industrial Average had its worst day of the year yesterday, dropping 313 points or 2.36% as investors worried about the economic health of the eurozone and the effects of tax increases and spending cuts set to go …
Whoever He Is, the President Elect Will Quickly Face an Economic Crisis
The U.S. is confronting a dizzying array of financial issues that will have to be dealt with early next year.
What Should Be Done About Growing Inequality?
Many factors contribute to increasing inequality. Public policy should focus on eliminating only the bad ones
Is the U.S. Waging a War on Savers?
Government policies that discourage saving are one of the chief reasons that so many Americans fail to put money away regularly.
Who Should Pay More in Taxes?
Perhaps the affluent should pay more income tax, but the middle class will end up footing most of the bill – because that’s where the real money is.
Atlas Shrugonomics
We all feel unappreciated sometimes. It was the particular genius of überlibertarian author Ayn Rand to turn those hurt feelings into a political movement of sorts, at least in the fictional world of her massive novel Atlas …
How Bad Is America’s Pension Funding Problem?
Unfunded liabilities in pension funds are just as onerous as other kinds of debt. Such liabilities now total more than $2.5 trillion and are growing at a rapid pace.
Will Banning or Taxing Soda Really Make Us Healthier?
The taste of soda may be sweet, but the potential consequences of those empty calories — obesity, diabetes, higher mortality, and skyrocketing health care costs — are not. In response, many states and cities in recent years …
Was Romney’s Tax Gaffe a Repudiation of Reaganite Conservatism?
Mitt Romney is still dealing with the fallout from that now infamous fundraiser in May in which he tried out his best Thurston Howell imitation in front of a crowd of rich people. He’s been clobbered for his performance by …