A few days ago the button on my shorts — after gamely attempting to deal with the enormous tensile strain caused by my middle-aged spread — abruptly fell off. I immediately thought of the crucial line of a ’70s commercial for a product called The Buttoneer that claimed to securely fasten buttons. As the ad [...]
Posts Tagged ‘economy’
Bleak, Bleak, Bleak
Posted in America, The Economy, tagged America, economy, High Unemployment, recession, Unemployment, Unemployment statistics on July 1, 2011 | 1 Comment »
I haven’t written about the economy for a while, and there is a reason for that: I am trying to maintain a positive attitude this summer, and the economic news has been unrelentingly bad. Avoidance therefore is the only path to optimism. Of course, it is impossible to fully ignore the news, which is discouraging. [...]
Our Gilded Congress
Posted in America, Politics, tagged America, Congress, Democrats, economy, Harry Reid, john boehner, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Politics, recession, Republicans, United States House of Representatives, United States Senate on June 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Congressional disclosure forms were released yesterday and they show that our elected public servants are doing very well, indeed. The wealth in Congress knows no party-line boundaries; Republicans and Democrats alike are doing well. According to the reports, the Minority Leader and Majority Leader in the Senate are both multimillionaires who saw their wealth rise [...]
Explaining The Housing Market Doldrums
Posted in America, The Economy, tagged America, Consumer confidence, Economists, economy, Home Foreclosures, Housing Market, NPR, Talk of the Nation on June 10, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday I heard a segment of NPR’s Talk of the Nation that discussed the housing market in America. The host and his guests discussed how housing prices may have bottomed out, how buying a home is cheaper than renting in some areas, how buying a home and making those monthly mortgage payments is a good [...]
The Stubborn Problem Of Consumer Confidence
Posted in America, The Economy, tagged America, Consumer confidence, consumers, Economists, economy, Gasoline Prices, House prices, recession, Unemployment, Unemployment statistics on May 31, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index fell in May to a recent low, causing some to fear that we may be on the cusp of the dreaded “double-dip” or “W” recession. Economists expressed surprise at the news. The only thing surprising about this news item is that some economists are still expressing surprise that American [...]
An Enormous Variance In Gas Prices
Posted in America, Ohio, Travel, tagged America, economy, Fuel, Gasolin, Gasoline, New York, Ohio, Poughkeepsie, Travel on May 23, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This morning we left Vassar and got gas in Poughkeepsie, New York, filling our tank at a downtown station. Then we drove back to Ohio and, at some exit just east of Akron, topped off the tank again. The same grade gasoline in Ohio was about 50 cents cheaper than the gas in New York [...]
Gas, In The Heartland
Posted in America, Ohio, Politics, The Economy, tagged America, cars, Driving, economy, Gas Prices, Gasoline, Gasoline Prices, Ohio, Politics, recession on April 8, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Today I was on the road. I had to gas up, and the station where I stopped was selling regular unleaded for $3.85 and premium unleaded for $4.15 a gallon. Filling up cost me almost $60. Ouch! And I drive a pretty fuel-efficient sedan, not a truck, or van, or SUV. In short, we are [...]
A Proud, Gay-Friendly City
Posted in Columbus, The Economy, tagged Columbus, Columbus Gay Community, economy, Gay Rights, Gays, Lesbian Rights, Lesbians on April 4, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Every year or so, some national publication prints an article about the large gay and lesbian community in Columbus. The most recent one that I can remember is this piece from the New York Times. The pieces are always earnest and respectful, but underneath there is always a tone of, well, astonishment. Deep down, you [...]
Vanishing Detroit
Posted in America, The Economy, tagged 2010 Census, America, American Auto Industry, Detroit, economy, Motor City on March 23, 2011 | 1 Comment »
The 2010 Census delivered stunning news about Detroit. The Census determined that the Motor City’s population has fallen — some might say collapsed — by 25 percent in only 10 years. According to the Census, Detroit now has only 713,777 residents. Detroit is now about one-third the population it achieved at its high point, in [...]
At The Greenbrier
Posted in America, The Economy, Travel, tagged America, economy, Hotels, The Greenbrier, Travel on March 14, 2011 | 1 Comment »
It’s spring break at the Academy, and Kish wanted to get away from Columbus for a few days. But where to go for a short, relaxed, not-too-pricey holiday? We’ve always wanted to visit The Greenbrier – that ancient, rich-with-tradition hotel-resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia — but it always seemed too expensive to be [...]
Sailing Through The Loopholes In The Corporate Tax Code
Posted in America, Politics, The Economy, tagged America, Budget Deficit, Carnival, Congress, Corporate Taxes, economy, Federal Budget, House Ways and Means Committee, Politics, President Obama, taxes on February 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The New York Times recently carried an interesting article on the odd state of corporate tax payments in the United States. The Times asked a research firm to analyze the tax payments of Fortune 500 companies over a five-year period, and the analysis showed significant discrepancies in the tax payments made by those companies. Although [...]
Considering The Rental Option In A Crappy Housing Market
Posted in America, The Economy, tagged America, economy, Home Ownership, House prices, House Sales, Housing Market; Foreclosures, New Albany, Renting on January 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but the housing market still sucks. Yesterday a widely followed index stated that housing prices in 20 major U.S. cities declined for the fourth month in a row. Prices also declined from last year’s prices, which were inflated by a government tax credit program that has [...]
Please, Not More “Stimulus”!
Posted in America, Politics, The Economy, tagged America, economy, Federal Debt, Federal Deficit, Government spending, Politics, President Obama, State Of The Union, stimulus, stimulus spending on January 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Tomorrow President Obama gives his State of the Union speech. Advance stories indicate that the speech will focus on the economy — no surprise there! — and that the President will call for more government “investment” in science, education, and innovation. “Investment” is, of course, just a code word for more government spending. The only [...]
Illinois Ups The Ante (Cont.)
Posted in America, Politics, The Economy, tagged America, economy, Illinois, Illinois Income Tax Increase, Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwich Shop, Politics on January 23, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
In response to Illinois’ decision to nearly double its personal income tax and corporate income tax, the founder of the Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop chain says he and his family are relocating to Florida and his company, which is headquartered in Illinois, also may relocate. “All they do is stick it to us,” he [...]
The Fifty-Buck Fill-Up
Posted in America, The Economy, Travel, tagged America, economy, Gasoline, Gasoline Prices, Inflation, recession, Travel on January 8, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Don’t look now, but gas prices in Ohio are spiking. The cost for a gallon of unleaded regular has increased by more than 60 cents a gallon over the last three months. This morning, with the gas gauge firmly on E, I stopped at the neighborhood Duke station for a fill-up. To my chagrin, it [...]
