Economics

What Does the Government Buy on Its Year-End Spending Spree? Here’s What Made the List.0
- Economics
- March 12, 2019
The month of September marks the end of the fiscal year and the beginning of the federal government’s annual spending frenzy. Federal agencies scramble to spend what’s left in their budgets, in fear that leaving excess funds will prompt Congress to send less in the following year. We call it “use it or lose it”
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Venezuela’s 3 Comrades in Economic Meltdowns 0
- Economics
- March 11, 2019
Venezuela is dealing with the most severe economic crisis of its history. Numbers are mind-blowing. Since 2014, the Venezuelan economy has contracted by almost 50 percent. The annual inflation rate reached 80,000 percent last year and three million people have left the country fleeing poverty and political repression. The last decade has witnessed very few
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In Germany, the State Can Seize Your Dog if You’re Late on Taxes 0
- Economics
- March 6, 2019
Bloomberg recently ran an article detailing how difficult high-tax states in the US can make it on wealthier individuals trying to leave. The idea of the state using teams of investigators to determine if one passes the “Teddy Bear Test” is likely to strike many Americans as creepy and slightly authoritarian. The Germans, however, show
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Minimum Wage Hike to $15 Wipes Out Jobs in Illinois and New York 0
- Economics
- March 5, 2019
Big minimum wage hikes wipe out a lot of jobs. Illinois recently enacted a $15 minimum wage, a large increase in the minimum wage that will be phased in over several years. And businesses are already announcing plans to close up, move out of the state, or curb their expansion in the state. The Daily Gazette
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Don’t Write Off Young ‘Socialists’0
- Economics
- March 4, 2019
In his State of the Union address this year, president Trump warned of the dangers of socialism. But is there any substance to that worry? Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a self-declared socialist, has made headlines with her Green New Deal proposal. And more recently, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who identifies as a democratic socialist, announced he
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New York City Experienced Worst Decline in Restaurant Jobs since 9/11 After $15 Minimum Wage Win 0
- Economics
- March 1, 2019
The Big Apple’s fast-food industry, The New York Times recently reported, has long served as a laboratory for progressive politicians and the nation’s labor machine. But new economic research suggests their latest experiment is not going as planned. Data show that following the labor movement’s “Fight for $15” victory, which imposed steep annual increases in
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