by jpitney | Jul 20, 2024 | Debt, Economic Policy, Social Security
Brian Riedl nails it at Reason: Paradoxically, the faster government debt escalates toward an inevitable debt crisis, the less politicians and voters seem to care. In the 1980s and 1990s, more modest deficits dominated economic policy debates and prompted six...
by jpitney | Jun 28, 2024 | California Politics, Economic Policy, Education, Health
Betty Márquez Rosales at EdSource: California’s children rank in the bottom third of all states in overall well-being, according to a new report released this week. The authors of the report, “2024 KIDS COUNT Data Book: State Trends in Child Well-Being,” found...
by jpitney | Jun 24, 2024 | California Politics, Economic Policy
Reis Thebault at WP: Two years ago, California was so flush that Gov. Gavin Newsom was moved to make a bold declaration about the state’s estimated $100 billion budget surplus.and presidential bona fides…But fast-forward to 2024 and the situation has swung...
by jpitney | Jun 10, 2024 | California Politics, Economic Policy
Manfred Keil and Ethan Sattley at The Sun: California has the highest state unemployment rate, at 5.3%, beating Nevada by 0.2 percentage points. South Dakota is in first place with 2.0%. While we do not see you packing your bags for a move to the Badlands or even a...
by jpitney | May 23, 2024 | California Politics, Economic Policy, Housing
Andrew Khouri at LAT: Want a house in California? It’ll likely cost you over $900,000. The statewide median sales price for a previously owned single-family house surpassed $900,000 for the first time in April, a shocking figure that underscores just how unaffordable...
by jpitney | May 20, 2024 | Congress, Economic Policy, Uncategorized
Don Wolfensberger, “Budget Act dead at 50 — or is it incognito?,” The Hill, May 16, 2024. In 30 of the last 49 years, Congress has not met the April 15 deadline for approving a budget resolution. The last time Congress completed action on all 12 appropriations by Oct....
