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Economics and You, by Alan Beideck

Cost of gift giving and living changed little in 2019

As 2019 comes to a close, the economy is setting records. The unemployment rate is at a 50-year low, and the current, decade-long economic expansion is the longest on record. With such a robust economy, inflation would be expected to heat-up. Instead, it has been subdued. That’s good news for ...

Rising cost of diabetes

A week ago Thursday was World Diabetes Day. It didn’t get much, if any, play in the media, so you probably didn’t notice. To raise awareness of the growing health threat of diabetes, the United Nations designated Nov. 14 as World Diabetes Day. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) ...

Rising corporate power prompts congressional scrutiny

The power of corporations is on the rise, and it is raising concerns in Congress. Competition is declining in the U.S. and other advanced countries, according to an April 2019 report by the International Monetary Fund. The extensive IMF report analyzed data from “nearly 1 million companies” ...

Wealth tax: unhealthy, un-wealthy, unwise

As if the U.S. tax code was not complicated enough already, a couple of weeks ago, presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders proposed a new version of his wealth tax. Sanders’ tax plan, which is posted on his website berniesanders.com, provides many details of his proposed wealth tax, but it ...

Student debt: the next taxpayer bailout

More than 10 years ago, taxpayers bailed out banks and auto companies that were reeling from the Great Recession. More recently, farmers, who have been hurt by the trade war with China, are being bailed out. The next taxpayer bailout could be for those who are burdened with student loan ...

Proceed with caution

Just as night follows day and June follows May, recessions follow expansions. The length and timing of recessions are not as predictable as the length of our days or the time of the year, but sooner or later, a recession is coming. It’s inevitable. Rather than a question of whether a ...