As my time on this planet continues, one thing that consistently amazes me is how the people of this country seem to more and more believe government is the answer to everything that ails us as a nation, or worse yet, for all of our individual grievances. I can’t name one “comprehensive” solution the government […]
The topline story on real economic growth in the United States during the third quarter was a good one based on data released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Annualized, seasonally adjusted real gross domestic product grew by 3.5 percent in the third quarter. That came after 4.6 percent growth in the second quarter […]
Imagine seeing big increases in your monthly electricity bill that never seem to end. Picture the loss of thousands of jobs in Colorado and the West. This could be our world if the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) goes through with its so-called Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon emissions from the nation’s power plants. The […]
Bob Kretschman summarized nicely the goal of renewed efforts at the Mesa County Libraries to assist businesses. While there are many reasons a venture might struggle or even fail, a lack of information shouldn’t be one, says Kretschman, public information manager at the libraries. We’d add to that statement, though: Given the availability of so […]
By the time you read this column, it’s my sincere hope the Republican Party has taken firmer control of the U.S. House of Representatives and control of the Senate. I further wish that every governor’s position in states where there were elections, along with every race available where Republicans ran, were indeed won by the […]
As I am wont to do from time to time, I put something on Facebook to stir the pot. I do this because I firmly believe Facebook offers the best reflection of the steaming cesspool that is American opinion. It’s also quite unabashed when it comes to those opinions because while it’s not anonymous, it […]
Few economists doubt the benefits of expanding international trade. Since the days of classical economists like Adam Smith and David Ricardo in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the benefits of trade have been voiced quite clearly among economists, with only the most rare exceptions. To broadly sum up, eliminating or reducing such international […]
I think two things are fairly clear about Ebola: there isn’t a catastrophic deadly virus outbreak in the United States, and the federal government wouldn’t have the first bloody clue what to do about it if there was one. America has an advanced, western-style medical system that largely precludes the sort of calamitous outbreaks that […]
Mark and Nicole Crain have nearly made academic careers out of studying the costs of federal regulations. So the economists from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania offer a valuable perspective on the accumulative effects of the thousands of regulations promulgated by our government. The Crains discussed their research and latest findings with the Business Times in […]
An educational battle in Colorado shapes up to be the most entertaining sideshow in a state already replete with entertaining politics. The brouhaha that’s taken center stage is happening in Jefferson County, where the teachers unions have orchestrated what amounts to a strike in response to the elected school board proposing a review of the […]