Daniel Sutter: Economics of ‘shrinkflation’
President Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren recently criticized “shrinkflation.” The details are secondary to the larger question of who decides how to respond to changing economic conditions, businesses, and government officials. Since President Biden has largely repeated Sen. Warren's points, I will consider Sen. Warren's comments here. For those who haven't heard of the […]
Dan Sutter: Unexpected economic growth in 2023
Economic growth in 2023 far exceeded economists' expectations. Did the Fed plan for a “soft landing” while keeping inflation in check? And is the economy as strong as growth rates suggest the Biden administration claims? Real GDP growth in the fourth quarter was 3.3%, bringing the annual growth rate to 2.5%. The latest quarterly numbers […]
Daniel Sutter: Costs of regulation
The federal government issues thousands of pages of new regulations each year (over 90,000 pages of new regulations). Federal Register in 2023). Although the costs of regulation are largely hidden, they can be estimated. A recent study by the National Association of Manufacturers puts the total at $3.1 trillion annually, or more than 10% of […]
Daniel Sutter: National disunity – Yellowhammer News
The rhetoric has certainly intensified as we approach the presidential election. Many Americans don't think well of their fellow citizens on the other side of the political spectrum. A recent Heartland Institute/Rasmussen Reports poll found that “one in five Democrats want Donald Trump to be imprisoned forever, expelled, or given the death penalty if he […]
Dan Sutter: Perils of voting by mail
A recent poll from the Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports found widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Whether this proves the presidential election was stolen is up for debate, but it certainly points to serious problems with mail-in voting. The poll was conducted in the first week of December and 1,085 people responded. 30% of […]
