Welcome to the new Gilded Age

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/12/20458133-welcome-to-the-new-gilded-age?lite Due 23 Sep 2013. What are the repercussions of having income inequality at these levels? What policy changes would you suggest??

Pay Gap Between 1 Percent And Everybody Else Reaches Widest Point Since 1920s

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/10/pay-gap-between-1-percent_n_3900373.html Due 23 Sep 2013. Analyze the chart. What are your impressions of the policy results for each President? Who was most successful; who was not? What events hindered their progress or their lack thereof??

Love for Labor Lost

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/02/opinion/krugman-love-for-labor-lost.html. Due 16 Sep 2013. Do the people in the US respect those who labor?? Does the Congress respect laborers, according to Krugman?? What is Krugman's rationale for this problem? Why has "Labor Day" lost it's original meaning?

China Calls for New Global Currency

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=7168919&page=1 Due 6 Sep 2013. What are the United States and the European nations against the new initiative for revamping the world economy?? What is China proposing for the new system? Why is China proposing this new system?

Ballmer Bows Out

http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2013/08/microsoft-0. Due 6 Sep 2013. Who is Steve Ballmer? How will his resignation as CEO impact Microsoft? What is the market cap for Microsoft and how does that compare with other corporations?

Austerity Has Cost the US 2.2 million Jobs: Study Says

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/06/austerity-jobs_n_3224762.html?utm_hp_ref=tw. Due 18 May 2013. Read it and weep!!

Vermont Exercising Option to Balance the Budget

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/us/24vermont.html. Due 10 May 2013. What reason does the Governor give for NOT balancing the budget in Vermont? Is this a good idea or not??

Former Bush Advisor on Austerity

http://huff.to/15Mzfn2. Due 29 April 2013. What policies did Mankiw recommend that are now under great scrutiny? What are his excuses? What policies would YOU recommend to solve the problem?

Austerity Calamity

[ http://huff.to/13wUzt1 ]http://huff.to/13wUzt1 Due 29 April 2013. What is wrong with the strategy demonstrated in the austerity process that conflicts with basic fiscal and monetary policies? How would you correct the problem?

Weak Job gains hurt economic outlook

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/05/us-usa-economy-jobless-idUSBRE9330HH20130405. Due 15 April 2013. What does this author blame for the weak economic outlook? Aside from the arguments made in this article, what do YOU see as a major problem in the current economy?

David Stockman: We've Been Lied To, Robbed, and Misled

http://www.theburningplatform.com/?p=51922 Due 8 April 2013. (David Stockman is an Michigan State Univ graduate!!!!) Notice that all these articles refer back to the problems in 1907--when we did not have a Federal Reserve system. How does the 1907 solution compare to the solutions the FED is offering today? Why has Nixon's (Tricky Dick) move in 1971 to close the gold window put us even further in debt? Why does Stockman claim we have been lied to, robbed and misled?

The Sequester that Saved the Economy

http://www.forbes.com/sites/briandomitrovic/2013/03/05/the-sequester-that-saved-the-economy/ Due 18 March 2013. What is the author's point as to why this sequester will save the economy? In his opinion, does Keynesian economics work?? What will work to stabilize the economy?

Rick Scott Agrees To Expand Medicaid Program in Florida

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/rick-scott-medicaid_n_2728187.html,,,,,,Due 25 Feb 2013. Separate politics from economics...... What will this program do for the people of Florida? Will it improve our human condition or break the bank? You're paying for it---what do you think?? Is it worth the opportunity cost??

CBO Paints Rosier Economic Picture for 2013

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/02/05/cbo-paints-rosier-economic-picture-for-2013. Due 11 February 2013. Discuss 2 positive and 2 negative predictions regarding the economy in 2013.

9 Facts That Prove Joe Stiglitz Is Right About Climate Change Hurting The Economy

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/08/joe-stiglitz-climate-change-economy_n_2432744.html Due 22 Jan 2013. What do these projected costs mean to you and your family??

FICA's Bite: Wages Subject to Social Security Tax to Increase in 2013

http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/compensation/Articles/Pages/FICA-Social-Security-Tax-2013.aspx DUE 22 January 2013. Should social security taxes have stayed at 4% or raised up to 6.2%??? Should wealthier Americans have the right to collect social security when they retire??

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?