Where did America’s wealth go? That is the question being asked from Washington state to Washington DC. The Federal Reserve reported yesterday that U.S. household net worth plummeted by $11.2 trillion, equivalent to a loss of close to 18 percent, during 2008. Household net worth – which is assets owned minus liabilities owed – of [...]
It’s round three in the federal government’s fight to save Citigroup. Last weekend, officials from the Obama administration and Citigroup discussed the possibility of expanding the government’s ownership stake in the troubled banking giant by converting existing preferred shares into common stock. This development makes the question of nationalizing large, troubled commercial banks a matter [...]
Over the past two decades, the U.S. has shifted from a nation of producers and savers to one of shoppers and spendthrifts. Now, our collective recklessness is plunging our economy into its darkest period since the Great Depression. It’s time for politicians to create policies that promote fiscal responsibility as opposed to ones that encourage [...]
The clouds forming over the McMansion-filled American landscape are getting darker by the moment. I’m not even talking about the dismal consumer confidence readings, plummeting retail sales and mounting job loses – these clouds have been with us for a while now. The new, darker vapor formations are emanating from Washington D.C. and the international [...]