Stay updated with breaking news from Michaeld Farren. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
From the column: "The current political system is one of minority rule. Republicans can capture and hold political power through elections and institutions in which the majority of the population is effectively sidelined."
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/TCBZYSKRGWOPN73MKF5YFJYBLE.jpg)
Thirty years ago this summer, two midwestern governors had a radical idea: that states band together and stop handing taxpayer-funded subsidies to private businesses. The idea fizzled, and we've since seen ever-increasing corporate handouts. As governors convene this year, support for a change is growing again.
State and local bureaucrats have approved a total subsidy package worth $1.8 billion — more than double what the public was previously told.
It may be difficult to believe billions wouldn’t sway most corporate location decisions, but it helps to frame the subsidy in relation to finances.
Possible reasons for the miss include too-generous unemployment benefits and temporary layoffs. Experts say a labor shortage isn't necessarily the main issue, and the news may not be as bad as it seems. Economists thought that the economy would add a whole lot of jobs — about a million, to be exact — in April. Friday's job reports turned that thinking upside down with a big surprise: The US economy added 266,000 jobs in April, falling significantly short of expectations. In fact, unemployment even went up. It's a twist that left economists and economy journalists alike befuddled. It was e...