As a conservative economist, I might be expected to oppose a stimulus plan. In fact, on The Washington Post op-ed page in October, I declared my support for a stimulus. But the fiscal package now before Congress needs to be thoroughly revised. In its current form, it does too little to raise national spending and employment. It would be better for the Senate to delay legislation for a month, or even two, if that's what it takes to produce a much better bill. ...more

February 1, 2009

Amtrak is suddenly hot, and nowhere is hotter right now than Tampa. Florida's 14.6 percent gain in passenger traffic from October 2007 through September 2008 is almost a third more than the national increase, and the Tampa station is leading the way. The city leads Amtrak's passenger growth in Florida with a whopping 33.5 percent gain in ridership in the last fiscal year. ...more

January 13, 2009

"I don't believe it's too late to change course, but it will be if we don't take dramatic action as soon as possible. If nothing is done, this recession could linger for years." ...more

January 12, 2009

'User' Tax A Remedy Jump-starting the economy should not be as difficult as it seems. Most economists agree that the mortgage crisis is one cause, if not the main one. A one-cent increase in the state or county sales tax could be a sure remedy. ...more

January 9, 2009

President-elect Barack Obama shouldn't expect Congress to have an economic recovery plan waiting for him when he takes office on Jan. 20. ...more

January 4, 2009

A top adviser to President-elect Barack Obama said Sunday that the country's slowing economy won't keep the new administration from fulfilling its plans for a middle-class tax cut. ...more

December 29, 2008

Although this past election didn't turn out as I desired for the country, I must say I was more pleased with the results in our local elections. The Brown-Waite and Schenck wins made me happy as did the almost-clean-sweep of the commissioners running for re-election. Good riddance to Chris Kingsley and Diane Rowden, no matter how they and their family members pout and call the voters names. ...more

November 21, 2008

County commissioners on Tuesday rejected a proposal to reduce impact fees 25 percent, delivering a blow to builders, Realtors and business people who believed it would spur home ownership and construction. ...more

August 6, 2008

Passes different stimulus package. ...more

August 6, 2008

The fate of $600-$1,200 rebate checks for more than 100 million Americans is in limbo after Senate Republicans blocked a bid by Democrats to add $44 billion in help for the elderly, disabled veterans, the unemployed and businesses to the House-passed economic aid package. ...more

February 7, 2008