The 2005 harvest is a big one. Minnesota farmers enjoyed favorable weather this year. Warm, dry days with little snowfall until late November made harvesting corn easier. Yields are generally very good. This poses challenges for agriculture, even if they’re…
Category: Other
Fair pay, and gratitude
Our culture is an individualistic one in which willingness to sacrifice for the common good is increasingly rare. Yet, many sacrificed in the past, and some sacrifice today. Regardless of how we feel about our nation’s foreign policies, we must…
Wal-Mart just wants everyone in same boat
Wal-Mart wasn’t being hypocritical when one of its executives recently called for a higher national minimum wage, but the retailing giant may have been taking lessons from German industry. Nationwide standards may give big companies like Wal-Mart a strategic advantage…
Do trade missions matter?
Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s trade mission to China is not likely to accomplish much in increasing trade or investment flows. But in practical terms, he had little choice about going. What states do is largely irrelevant in terms of increasing or…
Credibility is crucial in trade talks
If the Bush administration is serious about trade agreements, it should study the work of Thomas Schelling, winner of the 2005 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Schelling won the prize for applying game theory to Cold War nuclear strategy.…
Why subsidize mortgages?
Limiting the deduction of home mortgage interest is the most controversial proposal of President Bush’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform. It will be unpopular with much of the public. However, many economists — Republicans and Democrats alike — think…
High court’s impact felt in economy
Though abortion is the hot issue in Supreme Court appointments, the court’s decisions on economic matters can profoundly affect the nation over time. It is not clear how John Roberts, the new chief justice, or Samuel Alito — if confirmed…
Tax panel spurs needed debate
The President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform issued its report Tuesday. It contains many sensible proposals that most economists would support. In other words, it probably doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of ever becoming law. Nevertheless, the…
Fed chiefs often anger presidents
Only time will tell whether President Bush eventually will regard Ben Bernanke as a traitor. But if history is a guide, the next Fed chairman will disappoint the president in a significant way. Some pundits worry that Bernanke is too…
Government “waste” is complex
Recent news is rife with reports of the government paying more than it should for all sorts of things. Simply put, incentives in government are such that decision makers often don’t act in the best interests of citizens. Resources are…