Economics

A Look Back at 2009 and A Look Ahead to 2010

I know it’s a little late for a year end review, but I thought I finally have time to finish this post. I wanted to take a look at some of my favorite things from 2009 and take a look ahead to some interesting thing for 2010.

Is GM’s Failure a Forerunner of America’s Problems?

“I think it is important to recognize that General Motors is a canary in this country’s economic coal mine; a forerunner for what’s to come for the broader economy. Their mistakes have resembled this nation’s mistakes; their problems will…

America Doesn’t Plan for the Future

The other disturbing trend has been building slowly since the 1980s. It is a “dumb as we wanna be” mood that has overtaken our political elite, a mood that says we can indulge in petty red state-blue state cat fights for as long as we want and can postpone shoring up…

Is the Dollar America’s Achilles Heel?

“…the US government has a technology, called a printing press (or, today, it’s electronic equivalent) that allows it to produce as many US dollars as it wishes at essentially no cost. By increasing the number of US dollars in circulation, or even by credibly…

How Much is Fair to Tip a Tour Guide?

My friend (I can’t use her real name because her company does not like employees to talk about tips) graduated from UW-Madison this past May and decided to take a different path than most graduates. Instead of setting for a 9–5 desk job, she decided to travel and…