Chuck Winder (photo, left; profile here) is a prominent Idaho GOP politician and real estate broker. Not long ago he said, “We complain that we don’t have enough service workers, we don’t have enough of this, we don’t have enough people to do this. Well, I think there’s a reason, it’s no[...]
Archive for the ‘Economics’ Category
Living in Tennessee on $10 an hour
Tennessee is a right-to-work state with a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Anita Richey makes $10 an hour, but like most of America’s retail workers, she doesn’t work 40 hours a week (see story here). The industry norm is around 30 hours (see story here). That’s by the employers̵[...]
Who’s to blame for the housing crisis?
Capitalism is. I’m not saying there’s a better system for supplying homes, owned or rented, to everyone who needs them. Nobody in America wants to live in Soviet housing. Rather, I’m reacting to an NPR article (here) which, like many journalistic endeavors, begins with an anecdote:[...]
A useless story about inheritances
“Generation X stands to gain the most from the $84 trillion wealth transfer,” an NBC News headline blared on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. The story (read it here) begins, “Generation X may be the biggest beneficiary from the $84 trillion Great Wealth Transfer in the next 10 years, accor[...]
Would deporting illegals make housing cheaper?
I’m thinking yes, if you deport several million of them, simply because it would bring housing demand closer in line with housing supply. That’s because America has a housing shortage, and if you reduce the number of people who need housing, you can end the game of musical chairs and bri[...]
June 16th, 2024 - 9:17 pm § in Donald Trump, Economics
Who pays tariffs?
Consumers do. In his first campaign, Trump claimed China would pay his tariffs. That’s false. The U.S. can’t make China pay taxes. All it can do is make Americans pay taxes on Chinese goods. Tariffs are imposed at the U.S. border when goods come into the country. They become part of the [...]
Ignore CNN’s investing advice, and laugh at Wells Fargo Bank
Why CNN’s investing advice is laughable The headline of a CNN article published (here) on Friday, June 14, 2024, a day when stock indexes sank a little more after sinking for the last month, reads: “Here’s how to invest in stocks when interest rates are higher for longer” “[...]
Is greedflation real?
In retail grocery, I think so; in food processing, I’m unsure. Employers in the food industry are paying higher wages, retailers are passing along price increases by distributors and processers, and all have higher costs. Thus, some price increases are unavoidable. The question is whether comp[...]
Got the insurance blues?
Watch the video below. Skyrocketing insurance bills are hitting everyone. There are multiple reasons: More storms, more accidents, more expensive cars, parts, and labor. The bottom line is insurance companies are paying out more for claims, so they’re charging more for insurance. Return to The[...]
May 21st, 2024 - 7:14 pm § in Economics, Environment
Why Washington’s natural gas law won’t save the planet
New restrictions on natural gas use in Washington State were signed into law by Gov. Jay Inlsee in April 2024 (see story here). Democrats, Republicans, progressives, and the building trades council (a mouthpiece for developers) disagree on what the law means. It’s confusing, because after fail[...]