When thinking about the goods or services Colorado exports to other countries, agricultural products might not be the first thing that crosses your mind. Think again. Agricultural exports have become increasingly important to our state’s economy, with high-quality, locally grown products sold from our farmers and ranchers to worldwide markets that are rich with opportunity. […]
The federal government closed its books on the 2012 budget year at the end of September. The bottom line results provided another powerful reminder of just how out of control the federal budget remains — more specifically, how out of control spending is. In its latest monthly budget review, the Congressional Budget Office reported that […]
Perhaps by the time you read this column — as it likely will come out after knowing who the next president of the United States will be — our country will have a stay of execution because we’ve elected Mitt Romney. But I say stay of execution because, quite frankly, if we don’t change our […]
It was an interesting election year to say the least. Since what candidates and their parties tell voters resembles reality about as much as what parents tell their children about the tooth fairy, the weariness of months of electioneering occasionally was interrupted by brief moments of entertainment. A couple of notable examples included the attack […]
Most of us were taught as children that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Those who own and run their own businesses are particularly mindful of this age-old truth. That’s why many small business owners and economists alike expressed skepticism when the federal government announced the U.S. unemployment rate had […]
Now that the debates are over, platforms delineated, ballots out and election year opera entering its final acts, it seems a good time to summarize. Regardless of who wins the presidency, America faces some serious questions whose urgency will not allow prolonged deferral. On the economic front, which has universally claimed the mantle of deciding […]
When I think about the ramifications of the upcoming election, it scares me to death, especially on the national scale. Everyone who knows me knows I don’t support President Barack Obama or his party pretty much across the board. But that doesn’t mean I think Mitt Romney is the answer. I simply don’t trust anyone […]
There seems to be near universal agreement Mitt Romney handily won the first debate against Barack Obama. Perspectives differ, of course, depending on whether your preferred candidate was the gore-er or gore-ee. But few honest observers can really deny the former Massachusetts governor got the better of the president — and but good. Excuses are […]
Benjamin Franklin is famously quoted as saying, “In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Death perhaps. But apparently not taxes, at least in terms of what tax rates will be imposed. And it’s this very uncertainty that keeps business owners and managers hesitant to expand their operations or staffs. The latest case […]
It’s a presidential election season, so there’s a great deal of debate going on over taxes. Of late, the chatter has focused on who pays federal taxes — especially income taxes — and who doesn’t. So, let’s just simply go to the numbers and sort this out. First, we consider total federal tax liabilities by […]