Nov 18 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. Continue reading
Nov 18 House chairman claims Trump favors privatizing air traffic control By Joan Lowy, Associated Press A House committee chairman says President-elect Donald Trump likes the idea of spinning off air traffic control operations from the government and placing them under the control of a private, non-profit corporation chartered by Congress. Continue reading
Nov 18 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… Continue reading
Nov 18 Contrary to Trump tweets, Ford wasn’t considering closing Kentucky auto plant By Tom Krishner, Associated Press President-elect Donald Trump claimed Thursday that he convinced the chairman of Ford Motor Co. not to move an assembly plant from Kentucky to Mexico. But Ford never intended to move the plant, just production of one of the vehicles it… Continue reading
Nov 17 Watch 9:28 The visa program leaving hopeful immigrants empty-handed By PBS News Hour After leaving their home in Pakistan and living in Dubai, Noreen and Shehryar Iqbal aspired to move to the U.S. through the EB-5 Visa program, which grants green cards and eventually U.S. citizenship for large, job-creating investments. Now their life… Continue watching
Nov 17 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. Continue reading
Nov 16 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. Continue reading
Nov 16 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… Continue reading
Nov 11 Obama administration acknowledges Pacific trade deal is dead By Kristen Doerer The Obama administration has given up on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal with 11 nations in the Asia-Pacific region, according to The Wall Street Journal. Continue reading
Nov 11 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. Continue reading