Farmland prices are surging just as residential property values continue to slide. These opposing trends in real estate prices may cause significant shifts in the burden of the property tax that supports local units of government such as cities, counties…
High gas prices have been around before
Oil price spikes are not good for the economy, especially in the short term. But neither are they fatal. The U.S. economy, like other market economies, is more resilient than many people give it credit for. It can adjust to…
Gambling highlights conflicted attitudes
Since the genie was let out of the bottle 30 years ago, expanding gambling has been a popular way to increase government spending without raising taxes. Now we may use it to finance a new football stadium. Economics cannot say…
Pain of higher gas prices outweighs economic benefits
Do oil price spikes really slow economic growth and harm people’s disposable incomes? Or is this just “nonsense,” to use the words of Caroline Baum, a Bloomberg columnist, in a recent op-ed pooh-poohing the idea that oil price increases harm…