July 22, 2020
Judy Shelton, Trump’s latest unqualified and dangerous nominee to the Federal Reserve Board, must be rejected. Originally published in the New York Times Having failed in past attempts to put unqualified ideologues on the Federal Reserve Board, President Trump is giving it another try — and is closer to victory than previously. The nominee in […]
July 3, 2020
Why is the market doing so well when the economy is doing so poorly? Originally published in the New York Times From the Department of Curiosities: On Tuesday, as the number of new coronavirus cases continued to spike to record levels, the stock market closed out its strongest quarter in more than two decades. That […]
May 27, 2020
The economy can’t fully recover without longer-term help from Washington. Originally published in the New York Times Like dutiful soldiers, President Trump’s top economic advisers have been ardently echoing their boss’s optimism about the likelihood of a quick economic snapback, while downplaying the need for another rescue package. Regrettably, that’s dead wrong on both counts, as even Mr. […]
April 30, 2020
Congress gets an A+ for speed but a B- for quality. Originally published in a New York Times Op-Ed The next round of economic stimulus has now emerged from Congress’s sausage factory, with more rescue efforts inevitably to follow. Hats off to Congress for moving quickly, particularly in passing the gargantuan $2.2 trillion package late […]
March 23, 2020
To save American jobs, we need to save American businesses. Originally published in the New York Times Here we go again. With business activity having declined precipitously, bailouts of troubled companies are appropriately back on the table. Distasteful as they may be, we need rescue plans urgently, for both small and large business, and we need […]
March 14, 2020
The coronavirus is pushing down growth and risking recession Originally published in the New York Times At long last, the president declared a national emergency on Friday that took aim at some of the specific repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic. And Congress is moving forward with its own, smaller package. But we need much more, specifically, a […]
February 5, 2020
Democrats can easily show that the president has done little to help the economy. Originally published in the New York Times Every few days, fresh economic statistics roll out, each one almost invariably reinforcing the perception of a solid economy. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Trump reinforced that impression […]
December 31, 2019
Tweets, trade wars, impeachment. Will all the commotion affect Trump’s re-election chances in 2020? Originally published in the New York Times No denying, 2019 was a Year of Trump. His outsize personality, capricious decision making and tumultuous management style consistently put him center stage. The year’s news was capped by Mr. Trump’s becoming only the […]
November 5, 2019
Her big-government plans would damage rather than improve our economy. Originally published in the New York Times Senator Elizabeth Warren has unveiled her vision for how to pay for “Medicare for all” — a daunting mountain of new taxes and fees. Thanks for providing us, Ms. Warren, with yet more evidence that a Warren presidency is a […]
October 18, 2019
Tariffs don’t work the way Trump seems to think they do. Originally published in the New York Times Eager to shore up weakening markets and economic data, President Trump has unveiled the first phase of what he calls the “greatest and biggest deal ever made” with China. More a shaky truce than a final accord, the latest development […]