The airline world is moving on from the turmoil at American Airlines and wondering which big carrier will next run the gauntlet of labor strife and bankruptcy threats as it restructures itself. Our hometown hero, Northwest Airlines, is a solid…
Author: Ed Lotterman
Impact of SARS nothing to sneeze at
Severe acute respiratory syndrome is affecting the global economy in an interesting way. Actions by people to avoid getting SARS and public health measures to avoid its spread are the primary cause of economic loss rather than the disease itself.…
Short-term losses accompany benefits of trade
“What about when Jesse Ventura went on all these trade missions? I thought trade was supposed to be good for Minnesota?” A friend posed that question after Minnesota Technology Inc. last month published a report on how imports of Chinese…
Cult of personality can hurt economy
President Bush displayed good sense on Tuesday by indicating his willingness to appoint Alan Greenspan to yet another term as chairman of the Federal Reserve. Though Greenspan said Wednesday he wants another term, he should step down when his current…
Speaking freely can come at a cost to income
With the fighting over in Iraq, what economic lesson can we draw from the squabbles that emerged when performers and others raised their voices in protest during the last few months? Actor Tim Robbins claims that the Baseball Hall of…
Should the Fed try to achieve inflation?
What do you think of the idea that the Federal Reserve should manage the nation’s money supply so as to reach a certain level of inflation, say 2.5 percent? Many people might respond negatively. After all, isn’t the job of…
Tax policy relies on a vice precedent
The Minnesota Legislature has produced two proposals that reveal our ambiguous feelings about tobacco and gambling. We still disapprove of gambling. We increasingly disapprove of smoking. But recognizing that some people want to gamble or smoke just as some want…
Humped flatbeds signal doom for Fidel’s regime
Have you noticed how newer flatbed semitrailers arc upwards like a hunter’s bow when they are not loaded? I ask that question rhetorically. Friends and family members have long told me that I am fascinated by little details that don’t…
Should protestors pay?
Gov. Tim Pawlenty raised an interesting question when he proposed that anyone arrested for political protest activities be charged some sum of money to offset the costs of police, jail and court resources. While the governor’s proposal has economic merits,…
It’s time for a little fun understanding “fungible”
This morning I read an editorial from an Oklahoma newspaper arguing that if we had only already started to extract oil from the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, we wouldn’t be facing higher gasoline prices now. I sighed. I got an…