Trump’s Perfect Storm that Could Sink the American Economy
Donald Trump has steered the American economy into a perfect storm. In the book, film, and now in real life, a rare combination of destructive forces comes together and magnifies the damage. This storm could break the U.S. economy. Trump’s tariffs are the most destructive force. Their first-order damages begin by arbitrarily driving up the prices of every product and… Continue reading
An Affordable Approach to Universal Coverage
A majority of Americans and virtually all Democrats believe in universal healthcare coverage and the federal government’s responsibility to make it happen. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) had a strategy to achieve it. But the progress stalled when congressional Republicans axed ACA’s penalty for going uninsured and the Supreme Court made the ACA expansion of state Medicaid programs optional. Today…Continue reading
How the economy can shape a president’s impeachment
Reprinted from The Hill - October 25, 2019 President Trump’s two biggest headaches – the impeachment inquiry and a weakening economy – may soon intersect. No one supports impeachment because economic growth and business investment have slowed down. But waning growth deprives Trump of the argument President Clinton used so skillfully during his impeachment ordeal — namely, while his congressional…Continue reading
Trump’s Economic Program Leaves Most Americans Worse Off
This is a reprint from the Washington Monthly, September 24, 2019 issue President Trump’s tax and tariff policies form the heart of an economic program that he’s promised will help average Americans. The hard data, however, show that he’s actually imposed substantial costs on about 70 percent of Americans. That’s because of both the growing burdens imposed by both…Continue reading
The Surprising Public Policy Case for Electronic Cigarettes
Read the report: The Impact of Electronic Cigarettes on Cigarette Smoking By Americans and Its Health and Economic Implications For more than a half-century, federal, state and local governments have adopted a variety of strategies to discourage Americans from smoking cigarettes – from health warnings on cigarette packaging, advertising restrictions and anti-smoking public education campaigns, to multiple taxes and bans…Continue reading
Trump Acts Like a Populist. His Regulatory Record Suggests Otherwise
The administration has consistently favored big businesses over average people. by Robert J. Shapiro At some point, every president has had to grapple with the fact that he is not a king. The unhappy realization usually comes after they’ve been unable to pass one of their biggest priorities through Congress. Recall Bill Clinton with health care, George W. Bush with social…Continue reading
What Your Data Is Really Worth to Facebook
Americans who use the internet—85.5 percent of us—have made a tacit bargain with Facebook, Google, MasterCard, Verizon, and most other sites and products we use regularly. We get access to these companies’ services, and they get to scoop up, analyze, and sell our personal information. Few people question this setup, perhaps because most of us assume that our data isn’t…Continue reading
How much credit does Donald Trump deserve on the economy?…
Presidents deserve credit on the economy when their policy changes leave most people better off by creating conditions that stimulate employment, growth, investment, or consumer spending. Donald Trump’s tax and spending program approved by the GOP Congress in late 2017 has changed certain economic conditions. While it’s still early for a final judgment on Trump’s economic record, the results so…Continue reading
Why Americans Distrust and Fear Immigrants
Donald Trump demonstrated the power and broad appeal of attacking immigrants in 2016, with special emphasis on non-white immigrants. He did it again in last year’s midterm elections, when his passionate followers seemingly were unmoved by the cruelty of separating young children from their mothers at the border, or by Trump’s audacious claim of presidential powers to nullify the constitutional…Continue reading