Studies that attempt to quantify economic effects tend to elicit the skeptical response the numbers are overblown. Using mistaken assumptions and unrealistic multipliers, studies invariably purport that a given industry sector or even an individual business contributes billions and billions of dollars to the economy. Fortunately, that’s not the case with studies detailing the economic […]
“Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” “If, in the opinion of the people, the distribution or the modification of the constitutional powers be in any particular way wrong, let it be corrected by amendment in the way which the Constitution designates. […]
Dear Editor: As expected, there are those who are critical of Congressman Scott Tipton’s vote against the Senate bill (actually it is more accurate to call it a “deal”) that some claimed would avert the so-called fiscal cliff. Those same critics would have us believe that Tipton actually wants to see a recession and a […]
One of the peculiarities of American politics is the astonishment that washes over some people when they realize the people they elected act like they’ve been elected. Elections, as the oft-quoted (and just as often forgotten) aphorism goes, have consequences. We are just now starting to see those consequences — just now, that is, providing […]
Answer: To oppose something that’s not the root problem. This might be the hardest column I’ve ever had to write, because I love chicken wings. Well done, crispy chicken wings done perfectly at Buffalo Wild Wings. And our local outlet is exceptional at providing me with the product I desired that all too many have […]
How many times have studies been conducted and plans been drafted only to have the results of all that time and hard work sit on a shelf, so much paper gathering dust? How often is what initially seemed an essential undertaking never realized? Fortunately, an economic development plan drafted for Mesa County has proved a […]
As the earth begins a renewed trip around the sun, the wholly human urge is to mark the annual event with an understandable mixture of reflection and forethought. As we do so this time around, it seems two encompassing issues dominate the public consciousness. The two are not directly related, but the prescriptions written or […]
A majority of elected officials in Washington, D.C. once again have proven how disconnected they are from economic reality by passing their so-called remedy to the “fiscal cliff.” The politicians argue their deal averted the catastrophe of massive tax increases and arbitrary spending cuts in federal programs. The reality, of course, is that compared […]
So we’ve survived the apocalypse supposedly foretold by the end of the ancient Mayan calendar. And we didn’t tumble off the so-called fiscal cliff, even though the last-minute deal worked out to avert tax hikes and automatic government spending cuts was rightfully panned by some as causing more harm than good. So what’s next for […]
Like many Western Slope residents, I was disappointed at the decision by the Denver City Council to weigh in on a Western Slope economic development issue in the manner in which the council did. As the Denver Post reported, a council resolution centered on fears of the “possibility that future oil shale development could use […]