With the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the discussion about how to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has intensified. Hopefully, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle will see the debate as an opportunity as much as a challenge. Even the most fervent proponents of the law acknowledge it’s far from perfect. […]
here are those who regard economic impact studies with suspicion — sometimes justifiably so — the benefits of this industry sector or that event are inflated. But the analysis conducted every two years of the economic effects of Colorado Mesa University in Western Colorado is, if anything, conservative in quantifying the role of CMU. And […]
As I’m sure you did, I watched with interest the protests and marches the weekend after Donald Trump was sworn in as 45th president of the United States. The protests the day of the inauguration are the easiest to figure out. These are the same folks who want to go out and “protest” because it’s […]
Parents, siblings, spouses, co-workers, friends — these are people who could be affected by addiction. With one in seven Americans diagnosed with substance abuse, addiction affects more people than all types of cancers combined, and it’s likely we’re in daily contact with someone currently suffering from addiction or will be in the future. It’s fortunate […]
On Jan. 20, we know Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. But as I’ve said from the beginning stages of Trump’s campaign for the highest office in the land, it’s the stuff we don’t know that concerns me. And that is much to the chagrin of many […]
It’s only natural to want to start a new year with an optimistic outlook. What’s the alternative? Who wants to endure an ulcer-inducing 12 months of expecting the worst and sitting around and waiting for fears to materialize? Nonetheless, Grand Valley business leaders seem particularly upbeat in their expectations for 2017 — to the point, […]
I know that sounds like an odd headline after eight years of one president’s version of hope and in comparing that to the coming four years of the next president’s version of hope. But that’s the problem of putting our hope in other humans. I’m here to tell you it’s wrong if you rely on […]
There’s no shortage, it seems, of indicators and indexes that track various aspects of the economy — from unemployment rates to tax collections and consumer confidence to real estate sales. Just in time for the holidays, here’s the latest results of yet another measure that tracks labor costs and commodity prices, not to mention the […]
Since officially moving from recession to recovery in mid-2009, the story on the U.S. economy hasn’t changed. Two new reports indicate the challenges won’t change as a new presidential administration and Congress take power. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released its second estimate on third quarter GDP. The topline story offered a bit of […]
To the editor: A crisis is looming for local governments that are dependent on sales taxes, and it will come crashing down in the near future. Traditional brick and mortar retail is entering its final struggle against certain death. Its impact will first be visited on small rural towns and counties. Internet-based consumer buying is […]