Academic tenure, with its promise of lifelong employment based upon five to seven years of work experience, is silly and
makes those of us who have pursued a career in teaching and research look disingenuous.
Changes in media, especially new media,
will alter the life of my kindergartner. I am no futurist, but it seems to me that three big trends are clearly emerging.
Businesses take risks. Risk tolerance is
the hallmark of a successful businessman and entrepreneur. But those same businesses dread uncertainty.
It has been roughly a year since the passage of the economic stimulus, formally the more harmonious American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act. This stimulus is a textbook example of what we economists call counter-cyclical fiscal policy.
Folks tend to migrate to warmer, sunnier and more tax-friendly places.
With only a few exceptions, tax dollars flow from urban counties to rural counties.
We have this little thing called an equal protection clause that prevents us singling out so clearly a chain store.
The end of this decade is as good a time as any to reflect upon what has passed. We’ve had wars, two recessions,
three presidents, five Congresses and 10 Bowl Championship Series teams. Our population has risen, employment has risen, and
personal income has risen. The average American family is healthier, wealthier and, ideally, wiser. However, to listen to political rhetoric today, you’d think we’ve been living in the darkest
of ages.
One of the most important effects of the recession â??lower employment â?? is likely to be stubbornly persistent.
A long series of leaked or hacked e-mails strongly indicate that several prominent climate scientists have hidden data, conspired
to hide unfavorable findings, and doctored scientific evidence.
Under the current proposal, the same type of groups that made the CDC’s recommendations will outline guidelines about which treatment will be offered under a government program.
It is not sufficient merely to provide sustenance; we need to teach folks how and what to eat.
At a time when we are desperate for science and math teachers, and when several big firms are laying off scientists, we should
be jumping at the chance to get them into the classroom.
I have to note that Nov. 11 is Veterans Day. It is rightfully a time we thank those among us who have served.
On virtually every meaningful measure, this recession stacks up as only the third or fourth worst post-World War II recession, but its effects are much more profound in a few areas. One area that will be most apparent is the changes the economy has wrought on consumer credit.
One of the more intriguing things economists are called upon to do is what is known as non-market valuation. This is a process for estimating a â??priceâ?? of something that isnâ??t typically bought or sold.
This flu season looks to provide us an inkling of the real dangers inherent in large-scale health care reform, most especially
a full-blown national health care option.
So, the problem isn’t necessarily a big spike in job losses, but in much lower job-creation numbers.
Business and people now, and in the future, will choose to locate
in places that have the right mix of taxes and public services.
There’s a wonderful fight brewing between some of the world’s best-known economists.
