Archive for the ‘Economics’ Category
Why Cheap is Good
It’s probably not fair to comment on a book I’ve never read, but here I go. I am basing most of my specific comments off of Richard Bernstein’s piece in the New York Times. In any case, Ellen Ruppel Shell, a correspondent for the Atlantic, has written a book called Cheap: The High Cost of [...]
July 30, 2009
Posted in: Economics 
2 Comments
Airline Pricing and Baggage Fees
With the news that American Airlines will increase its baggage fees starting August 14, 2009, I thought it might be nice to have a little note on airline pricing. It is well known that passengers on the same flight will often pay wildly different prices for the same trip. These prices differ by when you [...]
July 27, 2009
Posted in: Economics No Comments
Not All Taxes Are Equal
In an editorial in the Globe and Mail Jeffrey Simpson reported that Canadian Prime Minister (yes, Canada!) Stephen Harper stated that he doesn’t “believe that any taxes are good taxes.” While this is a fun political statement, and a nice sound bite, it’s hard to believe that the Prime Minister of Canada does not believe [...]
July 14, 2009
Posted in: Economics, Politics No Comments
Cap and Trade Carbon Markets
There is an interesting post on Slate’s “The Big Money” website that points out what it believes to be a hidden secret about the recently passed (in the House) climate bill. It is a well-thought-out piece, and it makes many good point — though I think it requires some discussion. To recap, the House bill [...]
July 13, 2009
Posted in: Economics, Policy 4 Comments
Why Do Recessions Happen?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released numbers yesterday stating that, non-farm payroll employment continued to decline in June (-467,000), and the unemployment rate was little changed at 9.5 percent. Job losses were widespread across the major industry sectors, with large declines occurring in manufacturing, professional and business services, and construction. This means that roughly 14.7 [...]
July 2, 2009
Posted in: Economics No Comments
