The number of newly laid-off Americans signing up for unemployment benefits last week and those using this safety net over a longer period both plunged. The government figures released Thursday were clouded by difficulties adjusting for temporary shutdowns at auto plants. ...more

July 17, 2009

free Italian ice, courtesy of Rita's Franchise Co. ...more

March 20, 2009

With layoffs spreading, the number of initial claims for jobless benefits rose last week, while the total number of people continuing to receive benefits set a record high, the government said Thursday. ...more

March 13, 2009

With layoffs spreading, the number of initial claims for jobless benefits rose last week, while the total number of people continuing to receive benefits set a record high, the government said Thursday. ...more

March 12, 2009

The stimulus package is a terrible piece of necessary legislation. Its flaws are gaudily obvious. The bill was written in monopartisan secrecy, weighed down by irrelevant spending, considered in a rushed, uninformed debate and passed on a party-line vote. The law contains provisions that seem to weaken welfare reform and invite trade disputes. ...more

February 19, 2009

The massive economic stimulus package approved by Congress dramatically ramps up spending for a broad array of social programs for needy Americans in a way not seen since the launch of the Great Society programs. ...more

February 15, 2009

With the Senate expected to narrowly approve its version of an economic stimulus bill, lawmakers from the House and Senate will face difficult negotiations over spending for tax cuts, education and aid for local governments. ...more

February 8, 2009

A comparison of the $827 billion economic recovery plan drafted by Senate Democrats and moderate Republicans with an $820 billion version passed by the House. Additional debt costs would add about $350 billion or more over 10 years. Many provisions expire in two years. ...more

February 7, 2009

Americans Receiving Jobless Benefits Hits Record WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of people receiving unemployment benefits has reached the highest level on records that go back more than 40 years, the government said Thursday, and more layoffs are spreading throughout the economy. ...more

February 1, 2009

Back in the early 1990s, when Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan was still considered "the Maestro," I asked him what he thought of the Reagan administration's economic program. I anticipated a discussion of 1980s tax and interest rate policy. That's not what I got. ...more

January 18, 2009