Archive for 'Economic Commentary' Category

Why Do We Keep Doing Things That Don’t Work?

Mar 21st, 2010 by Joseph Y. Calhoun, III | 1

Let’s try a thought experiment:
Let’s say that there is a relatively high priced good for which there is a perceived societal benefit if it is widely purchased by the public. Congress decides that, given this societal benefit, it makes sense to subsidize the purchase of this good so that as many citizens as possible can benefit. Laws [...]

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Zone of Uncertainty

Mar 14th, 2010 by Joseph Y. Calhoun, III | 1

The next few months will be extremely important in determining whether the economic recovery is a brief respite or something more sustainable. The Federal Open Market Committee meets this week to discuss monetary policy at a critical point. Their quantitative easing program is winding down and it is an open question what happens to interest rates [...]

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Disgusted

Mar 7th, 2010 by Joseph Y. Calhoun, III | 8

From the Washington Post:
The House ethics committee ruled Friday that seven lawmakers who steered hundreds of millions of dollars in largely no-bid contracts to clients of a lobbying firm had not violated any rules or laws by also collecting large campaign donations from those contractors.
In a 305-page report, the ethics committee declared that lawmakers are [...]

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