On student loans, President Joe Biden once again has decided to kick the proverbial can down the road. He recently extended the moratorium on student loan repayments for a fourth time. The moratorium first was implemented when President Donald Trump signed the CARES Act into law March 2020, and it…
In 1797, Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet titled, “Agrarian Justice.” In it, Paine proposed the creation of what we now call Social Security. Paine also proposed providing every American — regardless of sex or race — with a stake. That stake was to be a sum of £15, or about…
William Ryan’s Letter to the Editor this past Wednesday, “Government has $0: Taxpayers foot all bills,” demonstrates a common misunderstanding of the difference between federal government and state and local government finances. Let’s start with the basics. State and local governments — and some national governments (such as members of…
In 2018, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released a report titled “The Future of Jobs.” In that report, it estimated that automation may destroy up to 58 million jobs by 2022. However, in that same report, the WEF also predicted that automation would create 133 million new jobs. That’s 75…
Recently, a study by Quote Wizard ranked the “Best and Worst Drivers By City.” Richmond’s drivers ranked 10th. Buried within the study was a little heralded fact. Per TRIP — a nonprofit transportation think tank founded in 1971 — 65% of Richmond’s major roads are in poor condition. In other…
Too often, Americans think our country can’t afford nice things. Several recent letters have exemplified such thinking. In “’Free money’ could kill jobs, boost inflation,” Erich Reimer argues a universal basic income (UBI) is unaffordable. In “President working to lower drug prices,” Marvin Rosman argues that we can’t afford Medicare…
If Democrats want to win the presidency and both houses of Congress in 2020, they’ll need a bold agenda. Simply being anti-Trump will not suffice. So, here’s an idea for that agenda: Eliminate federal income taxes for anyone making less than $50,000 per year. Consider the numbers. In 2017, the…
When discussing economics, the government’s budget is often compared to a household’s. That thinking is evident in Sidney James’ letter, “Congress must be fiscally responsible.” But is that line of thought correct? Unlike a household, the United States is 242 years old. During those 242 years, there has been only…
Rep. Dave Brat makes a simple argument in his recent Op/Ed column, “What happens when red states go blue.” His point is that the economic policies of liberal-leaning states and communities are driving people out, while conservative-leaning states and communities are enacting policies that are bringing people in. It’s an…
Dennis’ Rudzinski’s letter, “Congress should heed Mellon’s Lessons,” argued that lower taxes increase revenue. He points to Warren G. Harding slashing income taxes on the wealthy as evidence. However, Rudzinski ignores many parallels between today and the 1920s. In 1929, the Great Crash occurred. The 1920s, much like the 2000s,…