Before federal deposit insurance, people worried more about bank failures than now. If you had money in a bank and it went broke, you might lose everything. That danger motivated people to monitor the financial state of their banks. But…
Bank closures can be seamless
Failing banks make people uneasy. Many people naturally wonder how they would be affected if their own bank went belly up. Such concerns amplify other financial worries, such as fear of getting laid off, that motivate households to cut their…
Taxes have a place in economic policy
Recent statements from John McCain about the possibility of increasing payroll taxes seemed to suggest he was tiptoeing away from his no-new-taxes pledge. (He later repeated his earlier vow.) People can make their own judgments about McCain’s fitness as a…
Data vital to health care reform
Information is essential in choosing how to use resources to meet your needs. That is why Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s latest health care proposals are a useful contribution. A shared Web site with pricing information from different health plans, quality data…