Robots and Robber Barons

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/10/opinion/krugman-robots-and-robber-barons.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1& Due 17 Dec 2012. What argument is Krugman making when he speaks of the old "capital vs. labor" argument? What does he says about the wage gap of college students? And what about the robber barons??? Are they back??

Michigan GOP approves right to work amid union protests

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-michigan-right-to-work-20121207,0,6331751.story. Due 10 Dec 2012....(3rd article). What are the pros and cons of "right to work"? Which do you believe is the better policy?

Unemployment rate falls to 7.7% as job growth weathers Hurricane Sandy

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-economy-jobs-20121206,0,4378298.story. Due 10 Dec 2012...(2nd article). What does the author cite as reasons for the low unemployment rate? Is this good or bad??

Fiscal cliff offers hint at billions more in defense cuts on top of 10-year, $500B reduction

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/182135801.html?refer=y Due 10 Dec 2012. Which parts of these proposals do you favor? Why?

Asking Alex Berezow: Why has science become so political? Read more: Asking Alex Berezow: Why has science become so political?

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/conscience-realist/2012/sep/24/alex-berezow-politics-modern-science/ Due 3 December 2012. What do you think? Remember to keep an economics perspective.....

Greece and the EU: Battle for the (third) bailout

http://www.economist.com/blogs/charlemagne/2012/11/greece-and-eu Due 19 November 2012. What problems in Greece have led to a bailout by the EU? Why is the EU's anger increasing? What solutions do you propose?

The Devil They Know

http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2012/11/asia-and-obama-victory Due 19 November 2012. Why is Asia glad that Obama won reelection? Why did Pakistan want a Romney victory?

Krugman Tells Obama: Don't Make A Deal

http://www.businessinsider.com/krugman-on-the-fiscal-cliff-2012-11. Due 13 November 2012. What will happen if we "fall off" the fiscal cliff?? Why does Krugman take the position that a "deal" is bad for America? How do you think this situation should be handled? (Use economic knowledge in your answers)

U.S. fiscal cliff risks dragging global economy into darkness

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/07/business/opinion-dadush-obama-economy/ Due 13 November 2012. What is the fiscal cliff? What issues to be eliminated (if we default) are of greatest concern to you? (be sure to do the second article for this week as well)

Economy That Boosted Obama Looks Nothing Like 2008’s

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-06/obama-re-elected-with-economy-nothing-like-2008-s Due 13 November 2012. According to the article, what are the differences between the economy of 2008 and 2012? How are forecasters (such as the Fed) viewing the future economy in the US?

Florida, The Richest Prize of All

http://www.economist.com/node/21562969 .....Due 5 Nov 2012. What makes Florida such a "rich prize" in the electoral college? What specific demographics in Florida are changing the way Floridians vote?

Spanish Unemployment Rate Hits New Peak

http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/26/news/economy/spain-unemployment-rate/  Due 29 Oct 2012.   What is to blame for this extreme unemployment rate?   Should the European Union be responsible for the problems faced in Spain (or its other members)?

Lies, Damned Lies and the 7.8 Unemployment Rate

http://www.businessinsider.com/john-williams-on-lies-damned-lies-and-the-78-unemployment-rate-2012-10   Due 15 October 2012. Comment on the author's interpretation of the unemployment rate. Make sure you also comment on the second blog post.

The Truth About Jobs

http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/unemployment/   Due 15 Oct 2012. Why does Paul Krugman state that we should be cautious even after the new unemployment numbers of 7.8 came out? Why should we be optimistic?

Drizzle and Drought

http://www.economist.com/node/21563304 Due 1 October 2012.  This article describes basic supply and demand concepts.  Discuss the back-end costs and benefits of the olive oil industry.

Three Things Mitt Romney Conveniently Forgot to Say About Who Pays the Taxes

Who Pays the Taxes?  Due 24 Sep 2012.   What does this article say about who pays the taxes in this country?

Ben Bernanke's Heavy Artillery

http://business.time.com/2012/09/14/ben-bernankes-heavy-artillery-will-open-ended-bond-buying-drive-down-unemployment/    
Due 24 September 2012.   What are the three parts of QE3?   How does this plan differ from QE1 and QE2?    Do you believe this plan will help the economy?  What alternatives would you offer if you were in a leadership position?

Asia's Next Revolution

http://www.economist.com/node/21562195    Due 18 September 2012. What are "lessons from the west" from which Asia is learning? Cite specific instances of agreement or disagreement with the articles' content. Why would Asia want to mimic socialism rather than capitalism??

End-of-Term Report

http://www.economist.com/node/21561909 Due 10 Sep 2012. What does The Economist say about Obama's record? Do you agree or disagree? As always, discuss from an economics perspective.

Personal Income: More Than Your Paycheck

Personal Income: More Than Your Paycheck  Due 27 August 2012.   Welcome to MEACHONOMICS!!   Look at the graph and discuss its' meaning.   What are the components of "income" according to BEA?   AND.....What are they NOT telling you?   IOW......What economic factors will affect the purchasing power of your paycheck?

Personal Income: More Than Your Paycheck

Due 27 August 2012.   Welcome to MEACHONOMICS 2012-13!!!    Look at the graph in the article.   What is it telling you?   What are the components of "income" according to BEA?  AND......What are they not telling you?   IOW.....What elements of the economy will affect your paycheck in such a way as to affect your purchasing power?

Fed: Near-zero Interest to Stay Amid Halt to Bond Buying

Fed: Near-zero Interest RatesDue 4 May 2012.   You now have the tools to answer this one.   Do you agree or disagree with Bernanke's evaluation of the economy?   Do you agree with zero-interest rates?   What alternate strategies could be used?

50 Amazing Facts about Todays Economy

Due 27 April 2012. Which facts do you find most interesting and why???

Why Did My Wedding Dress Cost So Much?

Due 13 April 2012. What resources did you give up to get it??? What is your opportunity cost of a big wedding?

What America Buys

Due 13 Apr 2012. What do you think of your budgeting abilities? Where do you cut?

Time for a Property Tax in China

Due 23 March 2012. Thoughts?? Isn't it amazing that a country like China DOESN'T have a property tax?

The Richest 1 Percent Captured 93 Percent Of Income Gains In 2010

Due 16 March 2012. What do you think? Is fairness & equity a part of a capitalist system? Who benefits during a recession? What steps need to be taken to stabilize our economy?

Japan Struggles with Tainted Reactor Water

Due 9 March 2012. I know we are all sympathetic to the people in Japan, but how does this affect us?? Another news report indicated that debris from the disaster will soon start washing up on Hawaiian shores. Has the nuclear fallout reached us yet?? Tell me what you think....

Wyoming House Advances Doomsday Bill - Good Idea?

Due 2 March 2012. Ok, suppose Wyoming DID create its' own currency. How would it be valued?? What is Wyoming going to do with an aircraft carrier?? What do you think??

Chinese Labor, Cheap No More

Due 2 March 2012. Why is the US suggesting that China doesn't play fair?? What recommendations are listed? In your opinion, how should we deal with the trade issue with China??

Rolling Back the Years

Due 24 Feb 2012. Analyze the graphs in this article. What has America lost during the financial crisis?

Rescuing Greece: Beyond the Edge

Due 24 Feb 2012. What solutions would you recommend to solve the euro problem? Is kicking Greece "out of the Euro Zone" the salvation of the other Euro countries? Do other Euro countries have the "right" to persuade Greece to change their policies?

Congress Will Auction Public Airwaves to Pay for Benefits

Due 17 Feb 2012. What do you think? Does selling these assets make good policy? Why does the government "own" airwaves in the first place?

Krugman: We Are Already in New Great Depression

Due 10 February 2012. View the video. Define austerity. (yes, look it up!!) What does Krugman propose for Europe? What does he propose for the U.S.?

New York Attorney General Sues Banks Over Electronic Mortgage System

Due 10 Feb 2012. This is New York...notice that California is not far behind. What kind of economic implications are there when states sue banks that are "too big to fail"??? How will this affect the bank customers?

Have Economists Got It Wrong About the U.S.?

Due 10 February 2012. I know this is a little early for you to evaluate this data...but take a crack at it? What do you think? What do the numbers look like to you? Are we in a recovery?

The Value of Teachers

Due 27 Jan 2012. What are the economic implications of having a bad teacher? How would you change the payment system to give incentives to good teachers?? How do we get rid of bad teachers under contract??

Feeling Gloomy?

Due 27 Jan 2012. So what does the article discuss about Europe's future?? How does that affect the US???