December labor market numbers show great strength in our nation’s economy: Some 216,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy last month, making a 2.7 million job growth in the year, the third-best showing in this century. The unemployment rate remained at 3.7%. This was the 25th consecutive month below 4%, something not seen since […]
At times issues that are minor and short-term in themselves can illuminate broader tradeoffs or principles. That is true for the mayor and city council of St. Paul choosing to spend $1.1 million to wipe out city residents’ unpaid debt to medical providers worth a nominal value of over $100 million. This will benefit some […]
There are complex interactions between nations’ economic interests and the foreign policies that they pursue. Benefits to one nation’s own economy are important factors in how it interacts with others. Yet economic advantage is never the only motivation. Moreover, the converse is actually true: Foreign policies adopted for non-economic reasons come back to influence a […]