Jun 24 A Skeptic’s Guide to the 2012 Debate Over Manufacturing Job Losses By Dante Chinni The unemployment rate is more than 9 percent. Banks are swimming in foreclosures. It's no wonder that the 2012 campaign is shaping up to be about the economy. Who wouldn't want to "fix" numbers like those? Ah, but there's the… Continue reading
Jun 23 On Afghanistan Drawdown, a Rare Note of Agreement in Patchwork Nation President Barack Obama's call for steep reductions in the number of troops on the ground in Afghanistan is likely to be met with applause from people in nearly all of Patchwork Nation's 12 county types. But their feelings… Continue reading
Jun 17 When Eating Well Is a Matter of Where You Live Patchwork Nation looks at "food deserts" around the country, where geography affects diet. Continue reading
May 25 The Bigger Message From NY-26 In politics, it's not always whether you win, sometimes the places you lose, and the way you lose them, can be just as informative. Democrats are celebrating their win in New York's 26th congressional district. A few months ago,… Continue reading
May 24 After Years of Economic Hardship in Eagle, Colo.: Resignation EAGLE, Colo. | The last few years have given people in this Rocky Mountain town good reason to be angry. While no community has escaped the toll of the great recession, Eagle has seen a fundamental change in its… Continue reading
May 18 In Many Different Communities, No Clear Leader for GOP Nomination The 2012 election cometh, and as of right now the Republican field of candidates seems unsettled at best. Before it has even formed, the herd has been thinned. Witness former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's step out of the election… Continue reading
May 13 Foreclosures Are Down. How Is That Bad News? Looking at the housing market is enough to give anyone a serious dose of cognitive dissonance. Take the April foreclosure numbers. The data, just released this week from RealtyTrac, shows what could only be labeled, at first blush anyway,… Continue reading
May 11 Will Wisconsin’s Recall Elections Hold Clues to 2012? By Dante Chinni With the 2012 presidential race in early stages and the political press looking for clues about the mood of the electorate, politics in Wisconsin has become a national story. The battles between new Republican Gov. Scott Walker, Democrats and the… Continue reading
May 03 In a Military Town, a Muted Celebration About Bin Laden By Dante Chinni The impromptu celebrations that broke out following news that U.S. forces had killed terrorist Osama Bin Laden, were not limited to the New York and Washington. In places as far away as Columbus, Ohio; Austin, Texas and Dearborn, Mich., people,… Continue reading
Apr 29 Why Gas Prices Are Such an (Economic) Drag Are the hopes for an economic recovery disappearing into our gas tanks? On Thursday the Commerce Department reported economic growth had slowed to an annual rate of 1.8 percent. It had been projected to be as high as 4… Continue reading