Search

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to the articles published in previous issue including the article "It's Time to Deal With Our Debt and Deficits," published in the December 3 issue of the journal another on increasing taxes and other on the issue of minimum wages in the U.S.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including the "Editor's Note" on immigration reform and "Should Disaster Relief Be Offset with Budget Cuts" in the June 14, 2013 issue and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's use of government resources.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including "Mouthing Off" in the February 15, 2013 issue, the Editor's Note in the February 15, 2013 issue and one on the impact of the sequestration law on the U.S.

The article looks at skepticism over the U.S. economic recovery. There were 171,000 additional jobs in October 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer confidence and the housing market are reported as improving. Economics professor Shawn Ritenour questions whether the recovery is due to productive economic activity or merely a result of government stimulus. Ritenour notes that the country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth is driven by government spending.

The article reports on the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index which says that the confidence Americans have in their financial situation reached a three-month high as of October 2012 and that 50% of them think positively about the direction the U.S. economy is taking. However, it says that all these depend on the U.S. Congress' decision on whether it would extend tax cuts or decrease federal spending. It also notes the effects of the European economic crisis on the future of the U.S. economy.

The article discusses the tax plans of U.S. presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama and how these would impact the U.S. economy. Robert Williams, senior fellow at Tax Policy Center, states that the middle class would largely be spared under the plan of Obama to increase taxes on investment income and extend the Bush-era tax cuts. Will McBride, chief economist at Tax Foundation, says that the approach of Romney of lowering tax rate on investors will lead to more economic growth.

The article discusses the need for many Americans with outdated skills for retraining to find work as the U.S. economy improves. According to the U.S. Federal Reserve, the economy has expanded from November to December 2011 while stocks reported quick gains in the first few weeks of 2012. It shows that few new jobs are being created while the country's economy is growing.

The article focuses on the future Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the U.S. A background is offered on the fall of these two firms due to their foray into the subprime loan market. It discusses the possibility that they will be eliminated with the bill introduced by Republican Senator Johnny Isakson titled the Mortgage Finance Act of 2011.