Latest indicators offer a mix of good and bad

The right-hand column of the Trends page in the Business Times constitutes a proverbial dashboard in tracking key economic indicators for Mesa County, among them the monthly unemployment rate, real estate sales and tax collections. Wouldn’t it be nice if all the indicators pointed at once to improving conditions? Unfortunately, that’s seldom — if ever […]

Small bullets can still kill economic werewolves

Short of Elon Musk announcing the opening of a massive factory in the Grand Valley and employing 10,000 people to build rockets or cars or maybe rocket cars, there’s no single solution to the lagging economy in Mesa County. Fortunately, a multitude of smaller efforts are under way that, accumulatively, could help existing businesses expand, […]

Decisions made in anger … sums up the election for me

Are you getting the feeling everyone thinking about the coming election is mad about something? I sure do. I realize, too,  people might think the same of me … and that’s fine. I get it. Here’s why. Our loss of face-to-face communication skills due to texting, social media and all other forms of electronic communication […]

Finally, a ballot measure to limit ballot measures

Colorado voters face the prospect of another lengthy ballot in November, one crowded with measures that propose everything from a single-payer health care system to a higher minimum wage to the legality of assisted death for patients with terminal illness. That’s not to mention other measures that still could get on the ballot that would […]

Government policies affect states of growth

Overall economic growth has been abysmal in the United States. But what about differences among the states? Are there states showing strong growth relative to the rest of the nation? The Bureau of Economic Analysis released its estimate of first quarter state gross domestic product. National state GDP growth registered 1.2 percent. As for the […]

Job gains and GDP: Why the paradox?

The July jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was good news in terms of the broad numbers, but feeds into a striking recent paradox in our economy. First, in terms of the payroll survey, employment increased 255,000 in July. That’s two strong months of job gains in a row, after an eight-month dramatic […]

I’m Hillary Clinton, and I approved this message

That’s good to know, Hillary, because the message I’m referring to shows two huge points about you: You know nothing about the global economy and have less than nothing in common with the rest of us. It also shows us one important thing about Donald Trump and his narcissism: Every time someone criticizes something about […]

1 71 72 73 74 75 121