It is tough to be a deficit hawk. Rather than our typical spike in wartime spending, we have a peacetime deficit. (Please note that the federal deficit is just how much spending exceeds revenue…
Secretary of the Treasury: Jack Lew's Signature
Asked why his signature on US currency differed from the usual way he had been signing his name, Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner explained that it had to be legible. With most people assumi…
A New View of the Fiscal Cliff and Greece
Merle Hazard’s newest song is “Fiscal Cliff.” While he recorded his “Greek Debt Song” several years ago, it still is relevant and fun to watch. Econlife looked at fiscal …
Plane Train Competition
Should government subsidize a railroad? Our story starts during the 1970s when you could fly from New York to Washington, D.C. on the Eastern shuttle. Eastern left hourly (!) and guaranteed a seat to …
Part 2: The Basics of a Shutdown
On Friday, we might have a funding gap. With no up-to-date appropriations, agencies providing nonessential services from the federal government will have to stop. But what is “nonessential?̶…