Making Sen$e

Column: The shocking amount of leftover turkey that ends up in landfills

By Vikram Mansharamani

The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects a shocking 35 percent of turkey meat does not get eaten during Thanksgiving. Where does it go? Into trash cans.

Column: Under a President Trump, Medicare reforms are a matter of when, not if

By Philip Moeller

Donald Trump's victory has put our entire health care system in play, if not up for grabs. Will Trump and a Republican Congress follow through on pledges to end the Affordable Care Act? How might ACA changes affect Medicare?…

Column: The truth about trade agreements – and why we need them

By Chad Bown

Trade agreements remain critical because that beggar-thy-neighbor temptation for governments — in the United States, but especially elsewhere — never goes away. And it will surely resurface if the United States is the first to rip them up.

Column: Why don’t we have free trade for highly paid professions in the U.S.?

By Dean Baker

Most people are probably not aware of the extraordinary level of protectionism that benefits doctors and, to a lesser extent, other highly paid professionals in our own country. And we pay a huge price for this protectionism.

The surprising news about 2017 Medicare premiums and deductibles you may have missed

By Philip Moeller

Last week, as the shock and awe over Donald Trump's election victory continued to consume us, Medicare announced roughly 10 percent increases in 2017 rates for many Part B premiums and the program’s annual deductible. This is a very big…

Column: Our infrastructure is in disrepair. Will Trump invest in it?

By Vikram Mansharamani

Investing in infrastructure could give the economy a much needed and almost immediate boost during a time of stubbornly low growth.

Column: Who’s paying the true cost of Medicare

By Philip Moeller

There is a myth that consumers have completely paid for their Medicare. Yet, our payroll taxes come nowhere close to paying for program expenses.

Column: How to help workers laid low by trade — and why we haven’t

By Edward Alden

The U.S. government has long recognized that while freer trade would bring broad benefits to Americans through lower prices on everything from clothing to TV sets, there would be real costs. And they would be concentrated in certain parts of…

Column: What does Trump’s victory mean for climate change policy?

By Robert Stavins

If he lives up to his campaign rhetoric, Trump may indeed be able to reverse course on climate change policy, increasing the threat to the planet and in the process destroy much of the Obama legacy in this realm.

A historian’s take on Trump’s economic plan for blue-collar, manufacturing jobs

By Paul Solman

What is President-elect Donald Trump's plan for the economy? Economics correspondent Paul Solman sat down with economic historian Adam Tooze to discuss.