On September 15, the Senate Budget Committee held a hearing on ways to boost the economy.
A September 14 Gallup analysis finds that there has been little economic improvement over the last 3 years.
Also on September 14, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform issued a report on regulatory reform. That same day, the committee also held a hearing on the same subject.
In a September 13 commentary, University of Arizona economist Lane Kenworthy suggested that many of the negative trends in the economy and labor market that we are experiencing today are the culmination of trends that have been going on for 10 or 15 years.
A September 13 Gallup poll found a sharp increase this year in the percentage of middle- and upper-income Americans who believe the economy is deteriorating. This percentage fell sharply in 2009 and was steady throughout 2010.
A September 13 National Journal poll found stronger support for Obama’s economic initiatives than those of the Republicans.
On September 13, Macroeconomic Advisers estimated the impact of the American Jobs Act and finds that it would have a very positive effect on the economy.
Also on September 13, the National Federation of Independent Business released its latest poll of small businesses. It found that poor sales are their biggest problem.
On September 12, the International Monetary Fund published a study showing that income inequality has increased in all English-speaking countries and much less so in other countries.
Also on September 12, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas published a study attempting to explain the slowness of the economic recovery. A critical factor has been the role of banking in this recession.
Bruce Bartlett is an American historian and columnist who focuses on the intersection between politics and economics. He blogs daily and writes a weekly column for The Fiscal Times. Bartlett has written for Forbes Magazine and Creators Syndicate, and his work is informed by many years in government, including as a senior policy analyst in the Reagan White House. He is the author of seven books including the New York Times best-seller, Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006).
