Global Investors Are Telling Donald Trump His Deficits and National…
Washington is unnerved these days about budget deficits and the national debt. Deficit angst comes along periodically, often as a pretext for cutting social spending. This time, however, there’s genuine cause for alarm. Outsized deficits are par for the course when the economy is in recession or reeling from a shock like the pandemic or the financial collapse; most of… Continue reading
What You Earn Does Not Depend on Whether You Attend…
Young people respond to incentives like everyone else; and years of evidence showing that most well-paying jobs go to those with post-secondary degrees have been followed by rising numbers of young people attending college. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that from 1995 to 2015, the share of Americans ages 25 to 29 with an associate’s degree jumped…Continue reading
Get Ready for Cyberattacks across Many Critical Networks
In a recent interview, I said that America’s adversaries “may not do us the kindness of attacking only a single infrastructure sector” in future cyberattacks. Let me take you through this dark scenario. Until now, electric utilities, telecom companies, financial institutions and other vital sectors of our economy have each focused on strengthening their own cybersecurity. These efforts are important,…Continue reading
The Vast Economic Costs of Trump’s Plan to Bar Muslims…
Donald Trump’s mindset and style virtually compel him to attack anyone who might be a threat or enemy, and he recruits supporters by going after groups he casts as their enemies or threats. His darkest suspicions and contempt are reserved for Muslims. He presents his solution, barring people from Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States, as a low-cost way…Continue reading
Rising Incomes Are a Key to Winning in 2016 —…
Even if we accept that the 2016 campaign is a fact-free zone, what precisely are Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders talking about when they rant on about incomes cratering for most Americans? It’s true, as I’ve documented, that a majority of Americans saw their incomes stagnate or decline throughout the Bush expansion (2002–2007), and the financial crisis and ensuing…Continue reading
Everyone Will Lose if the UK Exits the EU —…
On June 23rd, Britons will hold a referendum on whether to stay or leave the European Union (EU), and surveys point to close vote. If Britain does exit the EU, or “Brexit,” the fallout could be serious and widespread. In February, G-20 finance ministers warned that Britain’s leaving the EU “could threaten global economic recovery.” Brexit also would produce serious…Continue reading
Why We Need the Hackers behind the Panama Papers
The outrage heard around the world on the release of the Panama Papers brings to mind Claude Rains’s turn as the Vichy prefect of police in Casablanca, “discovering” gambling going on at Rick’s Café. The fact that many of the world’s richest people and most corrupt politicians squirrel away hundreds of billions of dollars in secret offshore accounts has been…Continue reading
Whatever Some Candidates Tell You, the Incomes of Most Americans…
After a decade when most Americans saw their incomes decline, the latest Census Bureau income data contain very good news: A majority of U.S. households racked up healthy income gains in 2013 and 2014. The facts may not fit the narratives of Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, or Bernie Sanders. But they do help explain why President Obama’s job approval and…Continue reading
Donald Trump’s Chutzpah: His Tax Plan Doubles Down on Inequality…
Donald Trump, often a master of snide generalities, has been very precise about not only his plans for undocumented immigrants and Obamacare, but also his approach to taxes. The presumptive GOP nominee has laid out detailed proposals to cut tax rates, expand the standard deduction, and sharply shift the approach to business taxes. I’ve reviewed his proposals, and the conclusions…Continue reading