Recent Articles from Tucker Adams
The Economist: Economic arguments about gun control
I’m leaving the country for a month, so it seems like a good time to write on what must be the most controversial subject in the country today – gun control. Economists are supposed to present objective data, not look for facts to support preconceived value judgments. I’ll do my best. I grew up in […]
The Economist: Fiscal cliff gives way to slippery slope
Well, there was no dramatic leap off the fiscal cliff on Jan. 1, just the start of a gentle slide down a long, slippery slope … which is likely to have us end up the same place. My husband is raging about his taxes going up $1,000 a year so the government can send barrels […]
The Economist: Much-needed advice for Congress
Dear members of Congress: Four years ago I wrote a very nice letter to our new president giving him some useful advice on things to do during his term in office. It was such things as lowering the speed limit to 55 and imposing a $5-a-gallon tax on gasoline in order to reduce our dependence […]
The Economist: Can the Fed do anything to save our economy?
It’s been almost two years since I’ve written about the Federal Reserve, quantitative easing and all of that fascinating stuff. (I know, I know, but remember that monetary theory was one of my fields of specialization in graduate school.) It is time to address that topic once more, now that the Fed has announced it […]
The Economist: Jumping off the fiscal cliff
The current political mess in D.C. is leading our country on a path to nowhere. I’m pretty cynical about politics in the best of times, observing that with very few exceptions those smart enough to hold a national political office are too smart to want the job. But this is beyond ridiculous. It doesn’t take […]
The Economist: What’s so bad about rent?
It’s been a while since I’ve used this column for an economics lesson, but today it is time. Our topic is economic rent. Try to contain your excitement, please! Most of us know what rent is. It’s what we paid our landlord for an apartment before we bought a home. Or a car company when […]
The Economist: Oh, please!
I’m getting very tired of the headlines and hand-wringing about student debt. I realized how strongly I feel when a business professor whom I respect started in on the subject at a recent board meeting and I burst out, “That is such a bunch of BS!” I assume the statistics we see quoted claiming $902 […]
The Economist: When Greece exits the euro
For months we’ve been bombarded with endless articles on the crisis in Europe, the mounting problems in Greece, questions on the survivability of the euro and predictions that Armageddon will ensue if the euro disappears. Don’t misunderstand me – the situation in Europe is extremely serious and is hampering the U.S. recovery. But whatever the […]
The Economist: That pesky 1 percent
Back in the dark ages when I was in college (that would be the 1950s), our professors used to lament the fact that we didn’t protest and demonstrate like European students did. Clearly we were inferior when it came to having a social conscience. I’ve often wondered what they thought after the changes the 1960s […]
The Economist: Manufacturing in the U.S.
There’s lots of chatter among politicians and in the popular press about bringing tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs back to the United States. The perception seems to be that the only reason the jobs are gone is because they went to low-cost Chinese workers who toil in sweatshops with no benefits and little pay. […]
The Economist: Those Baby Boomers are getting older
For decades the baby boom generation has been a big asset to Colorado. The 26 percent of the population born between 1946 and 1964 moved here in droves back in the 1970s and 1980s, providing us with a young, highly educated, entrepreneurial work force. Today, Colorado ranks sixth highest among the 50 states in baby […]
The Economist: Random thoughts on past events
I spent the month of January ruthlessly cleaning out 35 years worth of files. Economists are notorious packrats, and I’m no exception. Among other things, I found a file of speeches going back to 1989. (I’ve been making speeches on the economy since around 1979, so I guess I cleaned files once in the past.) […]