It’s hard to be both an entrepreneur and pessimist. Entrepreneurship really requires optimism. Of course, that optimism must be rooted in reality. Consequently, it’s been tough to be an entrepreneur in recent years, not to mention an economist for a small business advocacy group. After all, you long to remain optimistic about the economy, but […]
After four-plus years of a deep recession and poor recovery, there are those who can become excited when the economy merely muddles along at a below-average rate of growth. That seems to be the case with some in their reaction to the recent release of the Federal Reserve Beige Book. The information gathered from the […]
Bring to a mind, for a moment, the memorable places you’ve visited in urban settings — perhaps the River Walk in San Antonio or maybe the 16th Street Mall in Denver. For that matter, recall the last time you shopped at a store, enjoyed a meal or simply strolled along Main Street in downtown Grand […]
It’s no secret Colorado businesses pay a hefty price for Coloradans’ health – with health insurance premiums representing the most obvious and visible cost. Health insurance premiums will increase by an average of 9.4 percent for Colorado businesses in 2012, projects the Lockton Benefit Group. That’s on top of the more than $7 billion Colorado […]
Apparently, President Barack Obama didn’t like how the arguments over his massive health care measure went before the Supreme Court. Obama not only came out swinging against the court, but also questioned the court’s role in our system of checks and balances. It was an unprecedented attack from a president of the United States. For […]
At least we’re not in Belgium. And I’ll give out a free annual subscription to the first person who actually gets that obscure reference. If there’s one thing that really bugs me when I’m doing my job, it’s when I’ve been engaged in a bunch of interesting conversations online, over e-mail and in person, but […]
It’s been a long, hard slog on the economy and jobs for more than four years now. But the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows life on the employment front. According to the establishment survey, payrolls increased by 227,000 in February. That was the third straight month of job gains that […]
The solution to America’s biggest challenge is small — small business, that is. Most Americans know and understand the only way to put the national economy back on its feet is to put people back to work. But that simple message has gotten muddled in the pandemonium that’s engulfed candidates of both parties in their […]
That’s exactly what my family took over 12 days in March, and the trip was everything I dreamed it would be and how I always remembered it was. Our recent road trip brought back childhood memories of the enjoyment I always felt riding in our Country Squire station wagon along the interstate, refueling at truck […]
Taxes always rank as major costs and big concerns for entrepreneurs, businesses and investors. But that’s even more so the case now given imposed, scheduled and proposed tax increases under President Barack Obama. There’s the possibility of even more tax hikes not too far down the road given the four-plus-year unprecedented explosion in federal spending […]