I have the highest respect for anyone who ever served in the military, and especially for Col. Donald Myers. ...more

February 1, 2008

Wal-Mart said Tuesday that it will discount some products as much as 30 percent as it aims to lure customers by under-pricing rivals. Price reductions will be available on thousands of items, including food, televisions, gym equipment and home products. ...more

January 30, 2008

I know editorials are opinion pieces, but opinions that make it to your editorial page should have at least some remote basis in fact. What facts do you have to back your assertion that the rising number of voters registering as independents reflects dissatisfaction with the major party candidates? Surely, you don't mean there is a tide of support for independent candidates, since for all practical purposes there aren't any. Do you have surveys, polls, interviews, etc. to support your statement? Worse, you then lapse into repeating the insipid populist pabulum that we have sent so many jobs overseas that wages have not kept pace with the economy. You really should check the facts. Trade has increased over 10-fold since 1960 to nearly $3.5 trillion –– more than one fourth of our total economy. If it caused unemployment and lower living standards, we would all be on welfare by now. Instead: Real GDP more than doubled, we added 81 million jobs, real per-capita and median incomes rose by a third, inflation and unemployment fell to historically low levels. We still manufacture twice as much as China and the combination of manufacturing, mining, and agriculture as a percent of our GDP remains at near record highs. Yes, the number of people working in manufacturing is declining. The same is happening in nearly every country, including China (where the number of workers in manufacturing has fallen 10-15 percent in recent years). We are witnessing the same miracle in manufacturing today that we saw in agriculture in the mid-20th century. Fewer people making more. It doesn't mean we have more unemployment; it means we have more stuff. ...more

January 15, 2008

Mix Of Taxes Ideal Mr. Troyer's letter has much merit in it suggesting a balance between a sales tax and income tax. There are, however, a couple of problems with his suggestion. ...more

January 8, 2008

It's halftime. What's the score? Last week, I turned 45. (Don't feel bad; only my mother ever remembers.) By my reckoning, that puts me halfway through my working career and, hence, halfway to retirement. ...more

January 6, 2008

A sharp rise in inflation has provoked fierce criticism of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - not only from his reformist opponents, but also from senior conservatives who helped bring him to power but now say he is mismanaging the economy. ...more

December 28, 2007

More than 3 million people will have to wait until February to get their tax refunds because of Congress' late fix to the alternative minimum tax, the IRS said Thursday. ...more

December 28, 2007

Congress on Wednesday gave final approval to a plan that will spare millions of middle-class taxpayers from paying higher taxes in the coming months. The White House welcomed the development and said President Bush would sign the bill. ...more

December 20, 2007

Since the Federal Reserve last met in October, credit has become harder to obtain, Wall Street has convulsed again and the housing slump has intensified. And policymakers at the central bank now appear to have changed their minds about the need to drop interest rates again. ...more

December 10, 2007

Baby boomers are quitting the work force, so Wall Street's going to work. Its latest pitch: "payout" mutual funds that provide retirees with regular income. These funds come on the heels of a slew of new income-generating insurance products, including immediate-variable annuities, "longevity insurance" annuities and tax-deferred variable annuities with living benefits. ...more

December 9, 2007