Author: Ed Lotterman

The roads to prosperity are paved with choices

A newly elected Congress and state legislatures will begin work soon. Party leaders are announcing priorities. At both the state and federal levels, transportation infrastructure is billed as a high priority. This is welcome because for years we have been…

Minnesota’s labor shortage cuts both ways

Minnesota’s “official” unemployment rate remains at 4 percent, a full point below the national rate. That is on a “seasonally adjusted” basis that smooths out such one-off factors as students working in summer or seasonal retail temps in the weeks…

Trump should tread lightly on the Fed

While most news about the incoming administration focuses on cabinet picks, Donald Trump also faces important decisions about the Federal Reserve, a government institution that by design is immune from politics. Here, I’d give Trump the advice Gen. Dwight Eisenhower…

Some get profiled, others get privilege

Some people pooh-pooh the existence of bigotry, but I myself, an elderly white guy, have been profiled against repeatedly recently — and it ain’t pretty folks! Yet often snap judgments based on cursory information, including appearance, are economically efficient. Social…

An economist explains why he’s repelled by Donald Trump

I believe the election of Donald Trump as president could undermine the traditions and values that have ensured our peace and prosperity through the years. I know others feel differently based on their beliefs, backgrounds and values. I come to…