As we closed the books on 2018, current economic projections indicate that President Trump delivered on his promise to achieve 3 percent economic growth for the first time since 2005. Last year, the U.S. economy emerged strongly from a decade-plus slump, but to maintain this momentum, the Trump administration should look at areas where they […]
Yesterday, Apple sent the already wobbly stock market tumbling after lowering its earnings expectations for the first quarter of 2019. As of writing, Apple’s stock was on pace for its largest single-day decline in 6 years. Since Apple is the world’s largest company by market cap — and this was the first time in over […]
At the conclusion of 2018 — perhaps resulting from the ongoing government shutdown — Congress managed to do the unthinkable: they actually allowed a bad government program to expire. Of course, in Washington bad ideas never die (they just hibernate), so in preparation for when Congress reconvenes, here is why the electric vehicle tax credit […]
1.) Trump’s FCC Shoots Down California’s “Texting Tax” Proposal. This week, overzealous California regulators saw their hopes of enacting a “Texting Tax” squashed by President Trump’s FCC. The FCC issued a declaratory ruling which found that “text messaging” is an information service, thereby limiting the state’s authority to regulate. Prior to the FCC’s announcement, California […]
Have you received your healthcare premium notice in the mail yet? I did. Next year, I will pay roughly $850 more for the same Obamacare plan that I have this year. No, thankfully, my health has not grown materially worse. In fact, I am near-certain the only expense my insurance company picked up this past […]
Regardless of whether you support President Trump’s tariffs as a negotiating tactic or whether you view them as harmful and unlikely to net a better deal, my Christmas wish is that the U.S. and China reach a pro-growth trade agreement before the holidays. A recent string of headlines makes clear that continuing the ‘economic cold […]
The Trump White House has poured much energy into making America more economically competitive with China. Yet while much of these efforts have been directed at changing China’s domestic policies from abroad, one secret for improving American competitiveness is lying right under our feet: harnessing America’s mineral resources. A new report authored by Dr. Ned […]
Have you seen the October jobs report? Before we dive into it, you’d better grab an oven mitt. This baby is hot! Here is the rundown: Economists predicted the U.S. would create 190,000 jobs in October. Instead, the economy demolished estimates by creating 250,000 jobs. Worker pay rose by 3.1 percent on an annualized basis […]
President Trump reminded us that he is surpassed by none when it comes branding when he recently unveiled his new slogan for the midterms, “Democrats produce mobs, Republicans produce jobs.” Is there a more succinct summary of the political divide since Trump’s election than this? Let’s recap: At least a handful of Trump administration officials have […]
Amid speculation of a 2020 presidential bid, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) attempted to dispel the notion that she falsely asserted Native American heritage for personal gain by releasing a DNA test showing she was as little as 1/1,024th Native American. If this was her 2020 kickoff, it gave new meaning to the phrase “stumble out […]
This week, Bloomberg News reported that New Mexico has the “top performing state economy since Trump took office.” On the heels of that announcement, the good news kept on rolling for New Mexico residents when Governor Susana Martinez unveiled what are potentially the boldest series of occupational licensing reforms ever undertaken in the United States. Governor […]
A recent column in Investor’s Business Daily gives an important perspective on why the stakes for confirming Brett Kavanaugh are so high: If conservatives obtain a majority on the Supreme Court, it could spell doom for Elizabeth Warren’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Warren’s CFPB is, as author James Bowers notes, “the federal government’s youngest […]
1.) Reagan economist Arthur Laffer corrects the record on who deserves credit for our economic boom. Last week, I explained why Barack Obama does not deserve credit for Trump’s economic boom. To the contrary, the economic growth President Trump has achieved comes in spite of Obama, as many of the previous administration’s economic policies remain […]
It’s pretty cringeworthy watching Barack Obama attempt to claim credit for economic growth under President Trump. Granted, one can understand why Obama feels compelled to argue this case — if President Trump sticks to pro-growth policies, Obama’s administration will stand out in history for just how remarkably dreadful his economic agenda was. I don’t think […]
Last week, President Trump told Bloomberg News that he is considering indexing capital gains to inflation. If the President follows through with this plan, his timing really couldn’t be better. This free market policy change should send market sentiment soaring right before the midterm election. I have previously written that indexing capital gains to inflation […]
Yesterday, the United States and Mexico agreed on a new trade agreement to replace NAFTA. As I write this column, it’s still too early to say what the impact of this new accord will be, as most of its details have not been released. But with that said, what we do know is enough to […]
1.) The Incredible Stock Market Run Continues Today, US stockholders should raise their glasses to toast the longest bull run in American history. USA Today reports: The long, upward rise in U.S. stock prices that began in March 2009 near the end of the Great Recession — a rally that survived countless scares and was […]
Recently, CNBC announced that Texas came in first place for the network’s “2018 America’s Top States for Business” rankings. As CNBC noted in its announcement, “[t]his is familiar territory for the Lone Star State, which becomes the first four-time winner in our annual study, now in its 12th year… 1 in 7 jobs created in […]
New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez recently announced a new initiative that should give workers in “The Land of Enchantment” much to celebrate — reforming the state’s onerous occupational licensing requirements. Governor Martinez’s focus on this issue during her final months in office is the icing on the cake to her successful two-term governorship, and the […]
While much of the attention in Washington D.C. has turned to the GOP’s “Tax Cut 2.0” blueprint, yesterday The New York Times reported that a “Tax Cut 1.5” may be in the works. According to the story, the Trump administration is considering a unilateral move to index capital gains to inflation. As I have written […]